A Black and White Story: Book One
by Brown-Eyed-Marauderette
Summary: From the very beginning, they have all been practically inseparable.  All coming from different backgrounds and having their own secrets, they grow with each other.  This is the very beginning of the rest of their lives. Story covers First and Second year.  Squeal up!
1. Prologue

I do not own Harry Potter and I never will. In this story, I only own Ursula Black, Elyse O'Brien, Benjamin White, and the rest of the White family and O'Brien family.

Since I am adding three main OCs into the story, I know that some people may be confused. If you want any clarification about any character at any point in the story that is not cannon, you are more than welcome to message me and I will try to clear up any confusion that you may have to the best of my ability and without giving too much about the story away.

IMPORTANT**** Just so you know, that character that this is listed under may not necessarily be the main character for every chapter. I try to focus on all the major, minor, and original characters in teh story. So if you think this story has absolutely nothing to do with the character you wanted to read about, the last chapter posted will be featuring them to some degree so just stick with it and hopefully you will like my portrayal of the cannon character.****IMPORTANT

This is the last thing I would like to say for this story: If you don't have anything nice to say don't say it at all. Do not leave any flames. I would be more than happy to hear your thoughts and constructive criticism.

With that out of the way, please read and enjoy for I present to you A Black and White Story.

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><p>A young man, just twenty-one sat at the large table that used to be filled with laughter. But now he sat there all alone all because of this god-forsaken war. He looked around the table and could almost see all of them there.<p>

Leaning against the wall opposite of him, Elyse O'Brien would be looking at them with her trademark smile on her face. It was a soft sweet smile that everyone was drawn to. Her bright, copper red hair would be pulled back into a messy bun like it had been throughout their Hogwarts years. Maybe her celery green eyes would glaze over as she was pulled into a vision. She would then return to conversation and act like nothing had happened.

Sitting next to him would have been Benjamin White, or just Ben. Within a few weeks of meeting each other, Ben had become his best friend. The two of them were closer than brothers. Ben's sense of humor and dedication to his family and friends was unmatchable. He was an easy going guy that never let anything seem to hurt him. He would gladly take a hex that was aimed for any of his friends as long as his friends were unharmed.

Ben would be sitting with his arm around the next person in the chair, Ursula Black-White. Her silver eyes would be looking at Elyse as the two of them shared some inside joke that no one knew about…yet. Elyse would raise an eyebrow and Ursula would let out a bark like laugh. Her curly pitch black hair would bounce up and down as she laughed. At that moment she would be beautiful. She had always been a heartbreaker, he had seen baby pictures, but she had always been Ben's girl. She could have had any guy at Hogwarts in a heartbeat but she didn't have any eyes for anyone except Ben. No one could deny the love they had for each other.

Sitting next to Ursula would be her twin brother, Sirius Black. The two siblings looked so much a like, it was slightly creepy. Sure most siblings looked that same but they really looked _so_ much a like. Sirius would always say that it was because of all the inbreeding in pureblood families that there was little give and take with their looks. In a way Sirius was just like his sister, they were both fiercely protective of the ones they loved. On top of that, if you messed with one twin, you got the other too. Both of them had such a strong sibling connection that it was borderline insane.

That would leave the last couple sitting to Sirius' right. To his immediate left, James Potter would be running his hand through his hair, messing up his thick black hair. It wasn't as dark as the Black Twin's but it was still black hair. His glasses would be covering his hazel eyes that were almost always gleaming with mischief and, up until a few years ago, arrogance. In his pocket there would almost definitely be a snitch in there waiting for the moment that James would almost certainly let it out. Odd thing was…James was a chaser. But who was he to question James; he was a person unto his own.

Then there would be Lily. If someone had told him that Lily Evans would marry James Potter anytime before seventh year, he would have taken them to the hospital wing to have their brain checked. She had a temper that could rival an angry Ursula but she often displayed it only for James, the boy that fell in love with her the first time he saw her. Her bright red hair would be gently cascading to her shoulders and her bright green eyes would be twinkling. Ursula would always joke that she had a spare best friend in case something happened to the other, since they looked so much a like. Elyse and Lily never really appreciated the joke. The joke ended the second term of their seventh year.

Then last but not least, Peter Pettigrew would be sitting at the edge of the table, keeping to himself as usual. Sometimes he would contribute to the conversation, but most of his suggestions were ignored because they weren't that good. Peter had always been the odd on out. James and Sirius were brilliant at thinking up the pranks and Ben and he would be good at planning them. Ursula would be great at setting up the prank and Elyse would always use her ability as a seer to help them stay out of trouble. But Peter always got left out a little bit. None the less, he was still a Marauder and was one of their closest friends.

He watched then as they all faded away in order of their deaths; young, vibrant Elyse; clever, loyal Ben; vivacious, witty Ursula; arrogant, devoted James; quick-tempered yet amorous Lily; weak, timid Peter; haughty, traitorous Sirius. Remus didn't even know if he could truly count Sirius as dead, but their friendship surely was.

As Remus Lupin looked around the empty kitchen table, he felt tears come to his eyes and he was no longer able to sit there. He quickly got up from his seat. How _dare_ they. There were eight of them and they had all left him before they had all turned 21.

He stalked back into his room and paused when he saw a picture frame full of smiling 11 year olds. They had gotten stopped while walking into the school for a picture for the Daily Prophet. They were all there, smiling and waving to the camera for a moment before Sirius and James threw themselves onto Ursula and Elyse and began to tickle the pair mercilessly. Ben and Remus moved to help them stand up while the girls tried to get out from under the boys.

Remus shook his head at their antics. He still couldn't believe that was only ten years ago. How had they all fallen so quickly?

He started thinking back to his seven years at Hogwarts when he and his friends were still young, alive, and solemnly swearing they were up to no good until that mischief was (temporarily) managed…


	2. The Beginning of it All

I still don't own Harry Potter and never will. I am just writing this for my own enjoyment. I would like to ask that people review just so I know that you like the story. Plus, if you have a good idea or you want to see something happen, I can try to work it into later chapters.

Without further adieu, here is the second chapter of A Black and White Story.

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><p><em>September 1st, 1971~ King's Cross Station<em>

"Come on Sirius! We're going to miss the train!" A small girl said pulling a boy that looked a lot like her behind her. The said boy was laughing and was strong enough to hold his sister back.

"Calm down, Sissy," Sirius said with a smile on his face.

She let go of his hand and turned to glare at him, which probably wasn't the smartest idea since the platform was crowded with parents saying goodbye to their children. Sirius was just about to warn her that she was going to run into someone when they collided.

The boy had fire red hair and dark brown eyes that were full of laughter as Ursula tries to untangle herself from the boy. Once she was free, Ursula quickly got off the boy while her brother offered his hand to him.

"Sorry about that. She loves to knock people off their feet." Sirius said with his silver eyes twinkling with mischief.

Ursula glared at her brother and slapped him on the arm before turning to the boy she had run over,

"Sorry about that. Ursula Black. That dolt over there is my brother Sirius."

He smiled,

"It's no problem. Benjamin White. Just call me Ben."

They were about to start talking when the whistle blew, signaling the train was about to leave. In the mad dash to get on the train, Ursula and Sirius were separated from the boy they had just met. The twins quickly put their trunks in an overhead compartment and began to look for a place to sit.

"So, Sissy, where do you suggest we sit?" Sirius asked agitated. She had just turned down three offers from other kids who offered them spots in their compartments.

She shrugged and then peaked into another compartment before turning back to her brother with a smile on her face,

"We're sitting here."

She slid open the door that revealed a girl with copper colored hair. Ursula sauntered in and sat down across from the girl,

"Hello, I'm Ursula Black. That's my twin Sirius. Mind if we sit here?"

The copper haired girl shook her head,

"Be me guest." She spoke with a heavy Irish accent.

Ursula opened her mouth to say something when the door flew open. There were two boys standing in the doorway. She recognized one of the boys as James Potter. She had never met him, per say, but she had seen his father. The resemblance between them was eerie, the only difference was that his dad has pale blue eyes and his are hazel.

Recognition flashed in James' eyes and he looked a little suspicious. But in an act that would affect the entire world, he walked into the compartment.

"Oh hey Blacks and girl I have never met," James said and without even asking if he could sit, he walked in and sat across from Sirius. The other boy was still awkwardly standing in the doorway.

"You going to come in or what?" Ursula asked him.

He seemed to snap out of his daze and turned a little red,

"Sorry about that. Remus Lupin." He shook her hand.

"Nice to meet you Lupin. I'm Ursula and that one sitting across from James that has no manners is my brother Sirius. I already apologize in advance when he does something to you. Oh, and that is…honestly I have no idea. I was about to ask when _someone_," she turned to give James a look, "barged in here."

James didn't even look embarrassed; he just continued to chat with Sirius. The copper haired girl then said,

"Me name's Elyse O'Brien. Are all yeh's first years too?"

The group nodded and James decided to elaborate,

"I've been waiting for years to get my letter. My 11th birthday couldn't come fast enough!"

Elyse's eyes were wide,

"Yeh knew yeh was getting a letta! Me mum 'n pop 'ad no idear I were a witch."

Sirius raised his eyebrows,

"You're muggle born?" He asked.

Her eyebrows furrowed,

"What's a muggle?"

James and Sirius went into a long winded explanation about muggle-borns, half-bloods, and purebloods. While they were talking about that, Ursula started talking to the boy that had remained very quiet and looked nervous. Ursula nudged his leg with her leg,

"We don't bite…well that hard anyway."

He chuckled nervously at the joke and seemed to loosen up a tad,

"I'm just nervous about the sorting." He said but Ursula could tell something else was really bothering him.

She decided to ignore that for the time being,

"What house do you want to be in?" She asked him.

He just shrugged, but Elyse heard about houses,

"What are Houses?"

Ursula answered before James or Sirius could,

"There are four houses at Hogwarts, one for each of the founders. Ravenclaw is for the smart and studious. Hufflepuff is for the loyal, but really it takes everyone that doesn't belong in another hose. Slytherin is for the cunning aka the dark wizards. You really don't want to be in Slytherin, it's the worse house. The house you want to be in is Gryffindor, the home of the pure of heart with courage and bravery running through their veins."

Elyse laughed,

"Wonder what 'ouse yeh want te be in?" she asked sarcastically.

Sirius' eyes darkened,

"Our family has been in Slytherin for centuries."

James looked horrified at them,

"Merlin, I thought you two were okay."

"If I get put into that Death Eater house, I will leave Hogwarts." He asserted.

Ursula nodded,

"I would take Hufflepuff over Slytherin."

James laughed,

"I have nothing to worry about. My family has been in Gryffindor as long as the Blacks have been in Slytherin. I know where I'm going to be sorted."

"Ye shouldn't count yeh's chicks before 'ey 'atch James." Elyse scolded.

James looked confused,

"What's a chick?"

"They're baby hens." Remus finally spoke up.

His confusion only grew,

"What's a hen?"

Remus let out his first genuine laugh but it was cut short with two boys falling into the compartments, one on top of the other. The one on the bottom was the boy they had met earlier, Ben White. The other Ursula easily recognized as Peter Pettigrew. They struggled for a couple seconds until Ben finally stood up.

"Sorry 'bout that. Peter here got in a little scuffle with some Slytherins. My sister and I tried to help him out, but let's just say running became the safer option."

Sirius immediately pulled them farther into the compartment and locked the door shut. He said some spell that Ursula didn't hear, but she had a pretty good idea that he was probably just reinforcing the lock.

"Do you know who it was? Can your sister handle it?" James asked as he quickly looked over the two boys making sure they hadn't gotten hexed with something bad.

Ben shrugged and shot a nervous look at the Black twins,

"I didn't get a good look, but it looked like Bellatrix and Lucius Malfoy. I think Narcissa was with them too."

Ursula swore while Sirius cursed their cousins.

"Sorry about them. We don't really count them as family anymore."

"It's okay. Anna's been dealing with them for years now. She can take them."

Ursula looked at him with new admiration in her eyes,

"You're the little brother of Annabelle White! I knew you looked familiar. Your sister is so wicked. The amount of times she has cursed Bellatrix or any of our lovely cousins – you got to introduce us."

Ben looked amused and nodded, his fiery red hair flopping into his eyes.

"But 'y don't yeh like yeh's family? I knew me family gets on me nerves, but they's me family neh matta what." Elyse said, looking at them oddly after Ursula's outburst.

Sirius and Ursula shared a look before Ursula began to explain,

"Sirius and I come from a family that thinks that people like you don't deserve to be taught magic. They follow this dark wizard named Lord Voldemort. They believe all muggle-born and half-blood witches and wizards…well they think they should be killed. But not all people are like that! James' family is considered blood traitors because they don't care about someone's family."

"So ye's a blood traitor 'cause yeh don't care 'bout me blood?"

Ursula nodded, happy that this girl didn't run screaming from the compartment,

"Exactly."

"Anything from the trolley?" They heard from the hallway.

James and Sirius jump and went to fling the door open, but Sirius had magically locked it and they ran into the door with a loud bang. Ursula laughed and stepped over their bodies and said the unlocking spells before opening the door. She turned back to the compartment that now held six people.

"Everyone pick something. My treat."

James and Sirius seemed to fly off the ground and grabbed their favorite treats off the cart; chocolate frogs. Peter grabbed some liquorish wands, stuttering out a thank you before returning to their seats. Elyse had never had magical candy before so she asked the trolley lady what she suggested and got a box of Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans.

Then there was Ben and Remus.

"I'll get something myself. You don't have to spend money on me." Remus tried to argue.

His argument was met with three chocolate frogs being shoved into his arms. He took one look at Ursula before smiling and moving back into the compartment.

Ben was something else.

"I refuse to let a pretty lady pay for me. I wasn't raised like that." He argued.

"Too bad. I want to buy something for you." Ursula shot back.

"What if I refuse?" He challenged.

She raised an eyebrow,

"Why are you making this difficult?"

He smiled,

"I'm not being difficult. I just don't want you to spend your money on me."

"Ben, I want to. It's not going to be a dent in my pocket."

He seemed to consider that a moment and Ursula could sense his resolve cracking. Finally he smiled and took a Pumpkin Pastry off the cart and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before he went back into the compartment.

Ursula felt her cheeks flush and she ducked her head when the Trolley Lady gave her a knowing look. She went though her pockets and paid the proper amount of galleons, while also grabbing her own Pumpkin Pastry.

"Thanks for the candy Sissy." Sirius said while he was stuffing his face with a chocolate frog.

Ursula looked at him in disgust and tried to reach over and wipe some of the chocolate off his face, but he just shooed her away. She in turn turned to Elyse and asked,

"So how's your first magic candy treating you?"

Elyse shrugged and then she popped another candy in her mouth and spit it out. The candy flew across the aisle and hit a familiar face; or at least familiar to the Black twins.

Bellatrix stopped, as did the rest of her little group that consisted of Narcissa, Lucius Malfoy, and Greg Goyle. Bella turned and glared into the compartment,

"Who did that," she hissed at the group of first years. Remus, Peter, and Elyse looked like they were about to pass out. Ben, James, Ursula, and Sirius looked…bored. When no one answered immediately, Bellatrix whipped out her wand and help it to Peter's throat,

"Who. Did. That?" She demanded.

His eyes widened and he looked like he was about to soil himself,

"It was Elyse!" He cried, pointing at the girl in the other corner.

The second that the wand was taken away from his throat, he seemed to sink into the cushions. Bellatrix's ice cold silver eyes shot towards the copper haired girl sitting across from Ursula. She raised her wand and there was a curse on her lips when Ursula shot up and brandished her own wand, protecting Elyse.

"Get away from the mudblood," Bellatrix growled.

Ursula shook her head,

"You will walk out of here and no one will get hurt." Ursula growled back.

After a moment, Bellatrix put her wand away and cocked her head to the side,

"Fine, protect your little mudblood. See you in Slytherin cousins." She called the last part over her shoulder after she left with the others trailing behind her.

Sirius and James were all smiles,

"Nice job Sissy." Sirius congratulated her.

Elyse's eyes were wide as she stared at the spot that Bellatrix had gone. She turned her eyes up to Ursula, who was still standing in front of her,

"Wow, now I knew what ye mean 'bout ye's family. I thought she were aboot teh kill me!"

"She probably would have," Sirius said nonchalantly. That only brought a new level of panic for Elyse. Ursula sat down between her and Remus and glared at her brother.

"Don't worry Elyse. Just stay near us and we'll make sure that nothing happens to you," she said giving a look to the others in the compartment. All of them nodded except Peter, who looked like he was about to pass out after that confrontation with Bellatrix. Poor kid…

They sat talking amongst themselves for about an hour. Remus and Elyse were talking about some muggle books they had both read over the summer. James and Sirius were planning a prank on the teachers once the school year got started. Ursula and Ben were talking with Peter about charms they knew and when the conversation moved to Quidditch, James and Sirius got involved. They were just discussing which was worse, the Holly Harpies or the Chudley Cannons when the compartment door opened.

In the doorway there was a pretty red-head girl with a greasy, hooked-nosed boy. All the conversations stopped in the compartment and the girl cleared her throat before she said,

"We are getting close to the school. You should change into your robes."

Ursula nodded and said,

"Thanks for letting us know. What's your name?" She asked.

The red head smiled

"Lily Evans. This is Severus Snape." She said gesturing towards the boy that was looking reproachfully at James, Ben, and Sirius.

"Ursula Black, Elyse O'Brien, that oaf is my twin Sirius; the other oaf is his friend James Potter. The red headed one is Ben White and the blonde is Remus Lupin. The one that looks like he's about to cry is Peter Pettigrew." She gestured towards each person. Lily looked at the boys who were now in an argument with Severus about which house was better.

"-If you prefer brawns over brains-" Severus was cut off by Sirius,

"And what about you since you don't have either?"

Ursula started to laugh but when she saw Lily's glare she turned it into a cough.

Then she turned to Severus,

"You know what? That lot is all brawn and no brains."

She saw Severus' smug smile and James', Sirius', and Ben's mouths hit the floor but she continued; her eyes glaring at Severus, "But they have hearts full of gold. Get out of this compartment before I make you because I'm all brawn and no brains too," She growled the last part. She would never let someone get away with insulting her family and/or friends.

Severus looked shocked before a scowl made him look more ridiculous than before. He put a hand on Lily's shoulder and led her out of the compartment. Lily didn't even try to fight him.

"What a grease ball," Sirius said in disgust.

"Did you see his hair? It looked like he hadn't showered in a week!" James said laughing.

Ursula cracked a smile, but ignored the boys that went into a Snape bashing tirade. She turned to Elyse who was staring out the window.

"Elyse, do you want to change into our robes now or later?"

Elyse thought a moment,

"Now," she finally decided.

Ursula nodded and with a smile stood in the middle of the packed compartment,

"Okay, boys out! Elyse and I are going to change."

Sirius shook his head,

"There are two girls and five guys. You leave." He said before going back to his conversation with the guys.

She just shrugged and turned and grinned mischievously at Elyse who seemed to catch on to what she was thinking. Elyse joined Ursula standing and kicked off her shoes while Ursula pulled off her hoodie to reveal her white camisole.

"Oi! Bloody hell, what are you doing?" James exclaimed covering his eyes dramatically with his hands. Peter and Remus did the same and Ben just stared at them in shock until Sirius threw a hand over Ben's eyes.

"You guys won't leave. We aren't so…" she trailed off and started taking off her own shoes while Elyse got out her robes.

"We get it, we get it, we'll leave," Sirius said. The guys ran out of the compartment and Ursula closed the curtains over the door and the girls changed, laughing the entire time. It was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.


	3. A Surpise Sorting

I don't want to sound needy, but I would really appreciate a review. I just want to make sure that people actually like the story. It can be a single word and I would be happy. I am hitting some writers block for the next few chapters, even though I have some written for future years. I need some encouragment to write the rest of first year. Pretty please with a cherry on top?

Still don't own Harry Potter. Never have. Never will.

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><p>When they got off the train, there was a giant man shouting,<p>

"FIRST YEARS THIS WAY!"

The seven kids looked at each other and followed the man with the lantern. Elyse tugged on Sirius' sleeve and asked softly,

"Where're we going?"

"First years get t school by boat. That's Hagrid, the games keeper here, he'll lead us, don't worry," he said squeezing her hand comfortingly.

She smiled shakily and quickly searched for Ursula in the crowd. She was walking ahead of them with James and Ben. Peter was walking behind them and Remus was on the other side of Sirius. Once they got to the river the group looked at each other trying to figure out how this was going to work. It was four to a boat and there were seven of them.

After a moment Ben said,

"How about James, Sirius, Ursula, and me go in this boat and Peter, Elyse, and Remus go in another boat? But if Remus would rather switch with Ursula…" he trailed off leaving the option open for them.

Ursula nodded before following James and Sirius into the closest empty boat. She almost lost her balance but arms wrapped around her waist and helped her into the boat. She turned and saw Ben's arm was still around her waist. They both turned red. James and Sirius laughed at her expense.

"Bugger off," she growled at them.

They stopped laughing but they kept on smirking at them. Ursula was trying to think of something to distract them when the idea seemed to slap her in the face,

"You know what we need to do?" She asked the group of three around her.

"Make sure the boat doesn't capsize?" James asked sarcastically.

She shrugged with a mischievous smile on her face,

"That _and _we need to plan a prank. Let the teachers know what they are going to be dealing with for the next seven years."

"What would we do without you Sissy?" Sirius asked dramatically.

"Well, you would probably be a straight O student, never have fun, and get through Hogwarts without a single detention dear brother."

Sirius shuddered at the thought,

"We need to start planning immediately."

By the times they got off the boat, they had a plan. Sure it wasn't going to be the best prank in Hogwarts, but they had seven years of pranks ahead of them.

They quickly found the second half of their group and decided to keep them out of the prank. They were following the group towards the front door when suddenly, an older adult tapped Remus on the shoulder,

"Oi, would yeh get your friends together. Photo for the Prophet," he said holding his camera up a little higher.

They all quickly gathered around each other. Elyse and Ursula wrapped their arms around each other as they stood in front of the Remus, Sirius, James, and Ben while Peter stood awkwardly near the edge. Sirius and James shared a look right before the camera flashed. The second it did, they sprang forward and tackled Ursula, effectively taking Elyse down with them and started merciless tickling the girls.

"STOP! PLEASE!" Ursula cried between laughs as Sirius tickled her stomach. Elyse was making similar pleas to James who was doing the same to her.

"ATTENTION!" a stern voice shouted from the entrance to Hogwarts. Sirius and James pulled the girls off the ground and they joined the group of first years, not even having the decency to look embarrassed.

"Welcome to Hogwarts. The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room. The four houses are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. ('Except Slytherin' Sirius muttered to the ones around him) While you are Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rule breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded that house cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours.""

"If you will follow me," McGonagall said.

They all followed McGonagall though the hallways. There were kids behind them that were talking about the theories about how they were going to be sorted, each one more bizarre as the last one. James looked back at Elyse and saw how pale she looked. He slung his arm around her shoulder and whispered in her ear,

"You don't have to worry. You just have to wear a hat."

She looked up at him with wide eyes,

"Are ye serious?" She asked him shocked.

Sirius turned around from in front of them and said with a cheeky grin,

"No, that's me."

Remus snorted with amusement while Elyse and Peter were laughing themselves to death. James and Ursula met each other's eyes before they rolled them; they had heard that joke too many times before.

Just then McGonagall opened the doors to the Great Hall and their breaths caught in their throats. Even all the purebloods that had been told what to expect from their families were shocked. Ursula could not look down from the enchanted night sky that was the ceiling. Eventually she was able to tear her eyes away and she looked in front of her. The group had made their way to the front of the hall and all the eyes in the hall were on them.

While the sorting hat sang a song, James, Sirius, Ursula, and Ben made their way to the front of the group. They made sure that they weren't in the very front row so they weren't seen by the teachers. They each got out their wands but hid them in the folds of their cloaks.

McGonagall started calling names, and the first boy, Gabriel Abbott, went up and sat down. The hat covered his eyes. A few seconds later the hat screamed,

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

Instantly, James and Ben said a quick spell and suddenly the boy's hair was gold and black, half and half. The Hufflepuff table applauded and some of the older kids moved to change his hair back but Gabriel shook them off with a laugh.

Then came what the Black siblings were waiting for,

"Black, Sirius."

Ursula gave her brother and quick hand squeeze before he walked up in front of the whole school. He was trying to look confident, but his sister could see that fear in his eyes. The hat was placed on his head and Sirius head the voice,

"_**Ah, another Black. You would thrive in Slytherin**__,_" It said in his head. He shook his head a little and kept on repeating "_Not Slytherin, Not Slytherin" _over and over in his head like a mantra.

"_**Not Slytherin, eh? You're family has been in there for generations. But looking closer, I see that it is not the perfect fit for you. It would be unfair of me to put you in there. You want to prove to be better than your family, but where to put you to prove yourself? Your love for your friends and family would be seen as weakness in Slytherin. Extremely intelligent but not studious, so that rules out Ravenclaw. You would have half of Hufflepuff in tears by the end of the night, so I guess that leaves…yes that would be a perfect fit-"**_

_** "**_GRYFFINDOR!" The Sorting Hat screamed.

The entire hall was deathly silent until a small girl started cheering manically in the group of first years, yet to be sorted. Soon she was joined by another boy with messy black hair and glass and then three more boys and one more girl joined in on the cheering. There was an enraged screech from the Slytherin and Bellatrix looked like she wanted to murder someone.

James and Ursula gave a quick flick of the wand and suddenly Sirius' hair was half red and half gold. He seemed to snap out of his shock that he had gone into the second the hat shouted Gryffindor. He jumped off the stool and practically skipped to the table that was now tentatively clapping at their new house mate.

McGonagall was glaring at a pair of twins that were sitting at her house's table. The Prewitt Twins, for the first time in their not so honest lives, honestly looked innocent. They were just as shocked seeing the first year's hair change color. They shrugged at her, just as confused at who the pranksters were.

"Black, Ursula." She said, planning on speaking to Fabien and Gideon Prewitt later.

After the sorting of her twin brother, everyone leaned in to listen. Would she end up in Slytherin like her family? Would she be put in Gryffindor with her twin? Would she possibly go into one of the other two houses? Anything seemed possible at that moment.

Ursula walked up and her eyes met with her brother's for a quick second and he gave her a thumbs up sign before the hat covered her eyes,

"_**I thought that your brother was hard, but it seems that you are harder to sort."**_

"_Please not Slytherin. I refuse to join the Death Eater house. Sort me with my brother." _She begged the hat.

_"__**I cannot sort someone because of family." **_The hat said.

_ "Then don't put me in Slytherin." _She thought.

_**"Stubborn, resourceful, powerful, pure-blood, cunning, smart, and tricky. All the traits of a Slytherin my dear. But you are also brave and loyal. Such a hard decision. You would thrive in either house."**_

_"I can't thrive without my brother," _she thought.

_**"You're loyalty to your friends and brother astounds me. I have not seen such loyalty since I sorted the last heir of Godric. I must decide now. You would traumatize the majority of Hufflepuff before the night was over. Ravenclaw would be a good fit, but you know what would be better?"**_

"GRYFFINDOR!" The hat shouted into the hall.

This time Gryffindor table erupted in cheers, rejoicing that they had stolen Slytherin's future 'Prince and Princess' as it was expected when the Blacks finally arrived at Hogwarts. Sirius was the loudest in the hall. He had jumped on his seat and started whistling, shouting, and clapping till his hands were raw.

Ursula bound off the stool and slid in right next to her brother, not even noticing that Ben and James had turned her hair red and gold. Sirius wrapped her in a tight hug and he whispered in her ear,

"We did it Sissy."

"That we did brother."

The rest of the sorting went uneventfully except that every time someone was sorted into a house, their hair became their house colors. There was also a little added bonus for the Slytherins, they were hit with a tripping hex on their way to the table and more often than not, they landed right on their face.

When James had been sorted, the hat had barely touched his head before it shouted out Gryffindor. He smiled smugly and walked over to the table across from Sirius. Remus, Ben, Peter, Elyse, and four other girls named Mary MacDonald, Alice Creevey, Marlene McKinnon, and Lily Evans were also sorted into Gryffindor.

The second James saw the red head, he couldn't look away. He didn't even listen to Dumbledore's speech, he just stared at her. She was beautiful.

"Why hello, beautiful," James said winking at her.

She glared at him and turned back to her conversation with Ursula. If only she knew what that glare would do.


	4. Of Sisters

I am sorry that I didn't get to update sooner. School started again and taking three honors/advanced placement classes on a block schedule doesn't leave much free time. Still, I want to thank Aclemene for her review because the second I read it, multiple chapters and a pretty good story line that I hadn't thought of before formed in my head. So thank you so much.

Now I just need to know, I have been trying to write in Elyse's accent, but I don't know if you guys can understand what she is saying so I'm considering dropping that. I like having the accent but I think that it gets to be too much sometime and considering that fact that I am not even remotely Irish, I don't want to butcher her words. I would love to hear your opinion about that.

I still don't own Harry Potter. Big shocker.

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><p>The next morning, Ursula and Elyse both stumbled down the girl's stairs. The girls in the dorm had stayed up late the last night talking. Now, the pair of girls wished that they would have gone to bed earlier. Ursula had just collapsed into an armchair when there was a loud bang from the upstairs. Ursula almost fell off her chair when she jumped in shock.<p>

Elyse squeaked and fell over the back of the sofa, "What teh bloody 'ell was 'hat?" She exclaimed from her upside down position.

Just then Sirius and Ben came running down the stairs laughing loudly. A door was thrown open from somewhere up the boy's dorm and someone shouted, "SHUT UP! BLOODY FIRST YEARS!"

Another door was thrown open as it echoed loudly after hitting the stone wall, "WHO SHOVED A WAND UP YOUR ASS, LONGBOTTOM?"

"WHO ASKED YOU FABIEN?"

"IT'S GIDEON! I'VE BEEN IN THE SAME HOUSE WITH YOU FOR THE LAST SIX YEARS!"

"WELL, IN THAT CASE THEN, I AM DEEPLY SORRY, YOU ANNOYING TWAT!"

"I WAS JUST KIDDING! I AM FABIEN!"

There was an enraged, primal shout as one of the doors slammed back shut. Laughter wafted down from stairs and joined the laughter of the four first years.

"What did you guys do? It scared us half to death," Ursula questioned the boys.

The smirked and shared a look. Ursula groaned, knowing that look on her brother. Just then, an annoyed looking James Potter came stumbling down the stairs with the help of Peter. When James saw the two boys he glared at them.

"You two are bloody jerks, you know that right?"

"What did 'hey do?" Elyse asked.

The two boys dissolved into another fit of laughter. James was getting angrier and angrier, which only caused the boys to laugh louder.

"Those two gits made me hit my head when I woke up this morning!" James said, rubbing the back of his head.

"We couldn't wake James up this morning so those two decided to get right in his face until he woke up. They were this close to his face," Peter said holding up his thumb and first finger closely together, "when he opened his eyes. James was so scared he jumped back and hit his head on the headboard."

B y that point, the entire group minus James was laughing hysterically.

"Fine, be that way you bloody gits. One day you will regret messing with the superior James Charlus Potter!" He held his hand out like he was brandishing a sword but the effect was ruined when he over extended his arm and hit Sirius in the face.

The entire group was silent as James smiled smugly. Sirius just looked at him with dancing grey eyes, "You have 5…4…3…2…1. GET HIM!"

During the countdown, James's eyes had widened and he started running out of the common room. Ben and Sirius were leading the charge with Peter and Elyse closely behind.

"SEE YOU IN THE GREAT HALL!" Ursula shouted after them, deciding to wait for the last member of their group. She made herself comfy on the sofa and waited as the rest of the student body went to the Great Hall. After getting some clear directions to the Great Hall and turning down an offer to walk with Lily and Alice, the person she was waiting for slowly walked down the stairwell.

"Merlin, Lupin, you take longer than a girl to get ready in the morning," Ursula joked.

Remus's eyes widened when he saw her, "Why are you here?"

She looked at him with an eyebrow raised, "Why wouldn't I be here? Someone had to wait for you and the others are currently busy chasing James. Why do you look so surprised?"

During her explanation his face had formed into a look of shock, like she had just grown a second head instead of explaining why she was waiting for him.

"I didn't think anyone would wait for me."

Ursula walked over and looped her arm through his and began walking towards the portrait entrance with him, "Well, to be perfectly honest Lupin, I like you. I can tell you're going to be a good friend. Unless you have this insanely dark secret that would make the rest of us fear for our lives, then maybe we should reconsider the friendship." She stopped and looked him deadly serious in the eyes, unnerving him with the intensity.

Remus looked like he had just swallowed his potions book whole. Then Ursula burst out laughing and continued dragging the boy to breakfast,

"I'm just joshing you Remus. All of us have some dark secret. It just may not seem as dark to some people."

They arrived at the Great Hall within a few minutes. Remus had yet to say a word to her after her last comment and she noticed that he looked pale. She was about to inquire about that when Sirius shouted from the table,

"Oi, you two, get over here!"

They walked over to the group of first years and as they sat down and got food, Ursula noticed that James was unharmed.

"Let him live, didn't you?" Ursula asked, pointing her fork in his direction, accidentally sending some omelets in his direction. Ben laughed when the food hit James right on the cheek. James didn't say anything and just glared at her.

"Eh, it would have caused too much of a mess." Sirius said with a shrug.

James glared at Ursula while the rest chuckled at him. He was about to snap something back when a red haired girl walked up behind Ben.

"Hey, Benny, sorry I didn't get to see you last night at the feast. Slughorn caught me hexing the Slytherins so he pulled me out of the feast. Congratulations on making Gryffindor." She clapped him on the shoulder.

"Thanks Anna. Guys this is my sister, Annabelle White. Anna, this is-"

"I know who they are. It's not every year we get three more red-heads, a Potter, and two Blacks. Hell, I don't think we've ever had a Black before." She looked at them slightly suspicious.

"Hey, we don't care about blood status," Sirius defended both of them.

Ursula glared at the older girl she used to idolize, "Just because our parents support Voldemort, doesn't mean that we do."

The suspicious slightly lifted from Annabelle's dark brown eyes, "Can't really blame me for making the assumption. You're family is one of the darkest families out there."

"You would think that because you're from one of the least judgmental families out there, you wouldn't judge us, but you do. But maybe you're just like them." Ursula shot back, angry that she was being judged by her own housemate because of her family.

Annabelle's eyes widened a second before they flashed with anger, "Are you comparing me to a Death Eater?" She spat.

"Maybe I am," Ursula said casually.

Annabelle looked about ready to hex her but Ben intervened, "We need to get to our first class. McGonagall gave us our schedules when we walked in. She gave me Remus's and Sirius has yours Ursula. Let's go."

He shoved a piece of paper at Remus before grabbing the upper arms of the Black Twins and dragging them out of the Great Hall with the rest of group following behind them.

"What was that?" Ben demanded harshly of her once they were far enough away from the Great Hall, his eyes flashing just as his sister's had been.

Ursula shrugged, "She was making assumptions because of my family. That isn't right. She was being stupid."

"That's my sister! You realize that you two are going to be judged because of your family and there is nothing you can do!"

"I was sorted into bloody Gryffindor! I thought that would be enough to prove that I wasn't like them." She shot back with a snarl.

James snorted, "Good luck with that."

"What does that mean?" Sirius asked him, defensively.

James just shrugged, "You come from a family that all other purebloods have been warned about at some point in their lives. Then all the half-bloods and muggleborns in Hogwarts have been dealing with the rest of your insane family for the last however many years."

"But they were all in Slytherin!" Ursula practically shouted. "We are nothing like them!"

"How do people know that? You got sorted last night and so far besides from talking to the rest of the Gryffindor first years, you have only insulted my sister, who I might add, carries some influence in this house because she is a seventh year," Ben pointed out.

That just got Ursula more riled up, "I don't care that's she's older than me. She had no right speak to me like that!"

"There's a way things are done at Hogwarts. First years don't go around insulting seventh year, Quidditch Captains." Ben said harshly.

"Oh, so let's let everyone walk over us because we are eleven! It's not fair and you know that Ben. You're smart enough to realize that that's wrong. Why are you even acting like this; I never said anything bad about you?"

"You insulted my sister," he said it as if that was the most obvious, clear-cut answer.

He turned and walked away with James and Peter. Sirius looked at her for a moment before he shrugged as if to say 'he's right you know' and he followed. Her eyes widened before she shouted,

"Fine you traitor!"

She huffed and turned to look at Remus and Elyse who had chosen to be silent throughout the whole argument.

"Are you going with them too?"

Both of them shook their heads.

The rest of the day it was very awkward. Ursula refused to talk to the four boys and they refused to acknowledge her, Elyse, or Remus. It was later that night and Elyse and Ursula were sitting in the dorm room.

"Am I crazy, or is my brother an idiot?" Ursula asked and she jumped onto her bed, almost falling off because of momentum.

The Irish girl laughed as she calmly sat down on her bed, "He's an idiot."

"I know!" Ursula exclaimed, "He's siding with Ben because you don't abandon family! Doesn't he remember that I am _his _sister? Plus, she was the one that insulted BOTH of us," Ursula's rant went on for three more minutes about how her brother was an idiot and Annabelle should get off her high horse and how Ben shouldn't let everything get to him like that.

Being the good friend that Elyse hoped to become, she listened to her and made the appropriate comments at the right time.

"Don't you think so?" Ursula asked, from her hanging position off the side of her bed.

Elyse paused a moment before she shook her head, "Not really. If anyone insulted Sirius, yeh would hex 'hem inteh oblivion."

"Whose side are you on?"

Elyse held up her hands, "No one's. Yeh just need teh apologize teh Annabelle."

"I refuse to apologize to someone that insulted me! Goodnight." Ursula drew the curtains around her bed and refused to speak to any of the girls in the dorm for the rest of the night.

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><p>Please review. The one review I got inspired the rest of their first and second year and actually changed some parts of the story for the better. The moral of the story is REVIEW!<p>

I will still update sometime this weekend if you don't, but it would be highly appreciated.


	5. Betray Gryffindor?

I would love to be able to thank people for reviewing, but sadly I am unable to do that. hint. hint.

Nothing has changed in the last week. I have not miraculously acquired Harry Potter so any character you recognize is not mine. I only own Ursula, Elyse, Ben, Annabelle, and any other extremely minor character I may add in the future.

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><p>The next morning, Elyse was sitting with Ursula at breakfast. The other girl was grumbling into her oatmeal about stupid early classes while Elyse nervously checked her time table for the eighth time in the last ten minutes. Ursula had not mentioned her outburst last night and Elyse was not planning on bringing it up anytime soon.<p>

"Do yeh know 'here teh Charms room is?" Elyse asked hesitantly.

Ursula was about to answer when Elyse felt the familiar feeling of falling through time.

"_Ben! Slow down!" Ursula shouted down the hallway. _

_The red-headed boy turned around and smiled and waited for her to catch up with him. Just behind her, the others that had shared a compartment on the train._

_ "Why the hell do you walk so fast?" Sirius asked as he practically jogged to catch to his sister._

_He wrapped his arm around her shoulders when he got close enough and all seven made their way down the hallway._

"Are you listening to me?"

She heard Ursula ask her. She blinked a couple of times and refocused on her.

"Sorry 'boot 'hat. Just a short vision."

Ursula nodded absent mindedly and then started when she comprehended what she said.

"WHAT!"

Half the Great Hall turned to stare at her. Ursula didn't even notice as she grabbed Elyse by the arm and pulled her into a nearby hallway that was deserted.

"What do you mean 'vision'? Can you see things?"

Elyse nodded and started to get worried, "Yeah can't witches 'n wizards do 'hat?"

"No! Being a seer is a really rare thing! Especially since your muggleborn; most seers inherit their ability. Plus, most can only say things and then they completely forget what they said. That fact that you _saw_ something _and_ remembered it...that's wicked."

"Are yeh sure?"

Ursula nodded happily and asked happily, "What did you see?"

Elyse smiled, happy that her friend wasn't freaking out about her odd gift. She had just opened her mouth when suddenly; a third person entered their conversation,

"I would think not, Miss Black. Miss O'Brian, would you please come with me," McGonagall gave her a look before entering her office. The door was left open for Elyse to follow.

"Am I 'n trouble?" Elyse whispered, panicked.

Ursula shook her head, "The Ministry of Magic has a lot of regulations for seers. She probably overheard us talking about it. Don't worry about it."

She gave her a reassuring smile and after promising to save her a seat in charms, she left Elyse on her own. Elyse took a shaky breath before entering her head of house's office.

McGonagall was sitting behind her desk with a stern look on her face. When she saw how terrified the girl looked and her face softened.

"Don't be worried. I happened to be walking to my classroom when I heard you and Miss Black talking. You said that you had a vision earlier this morning involving your friend," she prompted.

Elyse nodded nervously, "I swear teh only 'hing I saw were Ursula after she made up wit her brother 'nd Ben White."

"Have you had other visions like this before?"

"I've had 'em me whole life. Sometimes I kin control 'em. Oter times I 'hey just come unexpectedly."

McGonagall simply raised an eyebrow, "I will be honest with you and express my doubt in the art of Deviations. That branch of magic has very little basis and is very easy to fake. But, seeing that you are muggleborn and from what I gather, you truly do have these visions, then we will set up a meeting with Professor Dumbledore this week. There are strict rules involving seers."

"Like woot?" Elyse asked.

"I will not pretend to know all the rules, I try to stay away from this stuff. But, now that you have the gift, I caution you to not tell people of your ability—dark wizards would do anything to have a girl like you on their side. In addition, do not tell anyone about a vision that affects them. I suggest writing all visions in a journal."

"'here kin I get me a journal?" Elyse asked. "I don't got one."

She nodded and absent mindedly looked at the vast bookshelves. McGonagall got up and grabbed one towards the bottom the farthest right shelf. She tapped her wand against it and handed the plain brown, leather bound book to the eleven year old.

"This book will never run out of pages. I will also write you a pass to charms" She handed Elyse a small slip of paper.

"Thank yeh. Umm, professor?" Elyse asked hesitantly when she was about to walk out of the room.

"What?"

"Where is teh charms room?"

Five minutes later, Elyse showed up to charms with help from McGonagall. She quickly gave the teacher the pass and practically ran to the empty seat next to Ursula.

"So...?" Ursula asked her in an excited whisper.

"I've got teh meet wit Professor Dumbledore 'his week."

Ursula smiled crookedly, "Wicked."

The rest of the week went by slowly. By Friday morning, Elyse had not been called down to the headmaster's office. She had had two more small visions, but they were just of some animals in the woods

But there was drama in Gryffindor Tower. The older students had heard about the exchange of words between Ursula and Annabelle. Bets were being placed on how it would end. They weren't betting on who would hex who first. No, they were betting on what hex Annabelle would use on the 'stupid first year' that decided she wasn't going to follow tradition.

Ursula remained unbothered by all the looks she was getting. She enjoyed her classes and spent a lot of time with Elyse and Remus and occasionally with Alice and Lily.

That changed on Saturday morning. Lily and Elyse were sitting with Ursula towards the end of the table. Remus, who normally sat with them, was sitting with the boys. The owls flew in and Ursula smirked when she saw her mother's owl, Diablo, fly into the Great Hall. She had been waiting for the Howler her mother would send her.

"You're about to hear my lovely mother," she said with a smile. The two red-headed muggleborns looked confused.

But Diablo flew over her head. Ursula looked confused and tried to see if it was heading towards Bellatrix. Her mother was her godmother after all. To her great distain, the owl landed in front of her brother.

"HOW DARE YOU, YOU INSOLENT BRAT! YOUR FATHER AND I RAISED YOU TO BE A RESPECTABLE PUREBLOOD AND YOU GET SORTED INTO BLOODY GRYFFINDOR! YOU HAVE BROUGHT SHAME TO THIS FAMILY, SIRIUS ORION BLACK AND YOU WILL GET WHAT YOU ARE ASKING FOR!"

The letter burst into flames. Ursula watched, pained, as her brother milked all the Gryffindors's sympathy. He was smiling and laughing at the letter as James patted him on the back for standing up to his mother.

"She didn't even say my name," Ursula whispered horrified. Even when she rebelled, she was ignored.

Ursula jumped up from the table and ran from the Great Hall, shocking herself when she felt tears well up in her eyes. She didn't care about her mother before this so why was she crying? She knocked into someone and didn't even stop to apologize. When she heard the bitter laughter of her cousin, she just ran faster.

Not knowing where she had gone, she found herself outside the library. Ursula ran in, disturbing only a few Ravenclaws that had decided to skip breakfast. She ran to the most isolated part of the library ignoring the librarian's shouts at her and collapsed into a chair and cried.

She cried for the fact that even though she was the oldest Black since she was a girl; she would never amount to anything in her parents' eyes. The only thing they cared about was her bloody brothers. It wasn't fair. She tried to be like them when she was younger and when that didn't even get her one word of praise, she rebelled. Then it seemed like her parents gave up on her. Never a disapproving glance, just blank looks, like she didn't matter. Eventually her eyes started to droop and she fell asleep in the plush chair.

When she opened her eyes again, the library was darker. Realizing that she had slept much later than she thought, Ursula jumped from her seat and shook the sleep from her bones. She had promised to spend the day with Lily.

She wiped her eyes as she walked towards Gryffindor tower, trying to erase all signs of her tears. It didn't matter that she didn't like her family; she was a Black and Blacks didn't cry.

"Aww, look at ickle Ursula. Interesting howler this morning cousin," Bellatrix taunted her.

Ursula slowed her walking, "What do you want Bella?"

Bella was practically skipping with twisted glee, "Nothing _Sulie_," she sneered. "Just want to see how you're holding up after mummy forgot all about you."

"Shut up _Trixy_,"

A wand was instantly at her throat.

"Don't waste your energy Bella. She's not worth it." Lucius Malfoy drawled from behind. His arm was wrapped around Ursula's other cousin Narcissa.

"My little cousin has shamed this family one too many times. My dear Auntie Walburga didn't feel the need to address that in her letter this morning."

Ursula saw a flash of light come out of Bellatrix's wand and the next thing she knew she was flying through the air. Her back hit the wall painfully and she fell to a crumpled heap on the floor.

"I would say hex someone with your ability, but then you would just hex me again," Ursula gasped in pain.

Bella shouted something that she didn't recognize. It felt like the worst headache she's ever had times a million. She screamed in pain and grabbed the sides of her head, praying that someone would come to help her.

"What? Is the pain too much for little Sulie?"

"Shut up bitch," Ursula shouted out once she was released from the curse.

Bella got a crazed look in her eye, "You call me a bitch? Better than Blood Traitor! Remember cousin, you could redeem yourself." Bella whispered as she knelt over the eleven year old.

"What do you mean?" Ursula asked.

Narcissa spoke up, "Bella, don't waste your time. She'll never agree-"

"Hush sister. She's a Black—she'll see reason," She said before she turned around. "We could make use of a Gryffindor. Gryffindors trust to easily—especially each other. They would never suspect you."

Ursula stared up at her in shock, "You want me to spy on Gryffindor?" She asked incredulously.

Lucius laughed, "I told you she wouldn't agree. She's too weak."

"Shut up Lucius! Let's see what she says."

All eyes turned towards her prone state on the ground.

"I will never, ever, betray my house. I'm not a lousy snake!"

Bella's nostrils flamed in anger. She shouted the same spell as before but this time her legs felt like they on fire.

"EXPELIARMUS!" A voice shouted from down the hallway.

The pain was instantly gone and Ursula practically passed out in relief. Bright lights passed over her head. Ursula could see the vague outlines of what looked like four guys and a girl dueling with the Slytherins. The female bent over her once the fight had moved farther down the hallway. Ursula instantly recognized her.

"You okay, Black?"

"Just dandy, White," Ursula groaned as she tried to sit up.

"Take it easy kid." Another voice came from behind the older girl.

Ursula looked around and saw the Prewitt Twins, Frank Longbottom, and Benjy Fennick walking back from the edge of the hallway. Their wands were still clenched in their hands.

There was unexpectedly a loud bang from much farther down the hallway and faint shouts of spells being exchanged.

The guys looked at each other and Annabelle.

"Go ahead. I'll make sure she's okay."

One of the twins leaned down and gave her a quick kiss before he smirked at the others, "Let's go snake hunting!"

The other twin laughed and high fived his brother. Longbottom rolled his eyes but he looked excited. Fennick looked apprehensive. Prewitt clapped him on the shoulder, "Lighten up, our little Hufflepuff friend. Release your inner Gryffindor!"

"If I had some I wouldn't be in Hufflepuff." He muttered but followed the other three.

Once the boys were gone the two girls just looked at each other. Annabelle spoke first,

"Come on, Black. Can you stand?"

Ursula nodded and started to pull herself up but then her legs gave out. Annabelle rolled her eyes but helped the first year stand up. Slowly, they made their way down the hallway in silence.

"We heard what you said.

Ursula froze when Annabelle uttered those words.

"Bellatrix isn't the quietest person in the school. We were ready to hex her to kingdom come along with her sister and Malfoy. But we decided to listen."

"So am I still like my family?"

There was a pause.

"No. No you're not."

Neither girl said another word the rest of the trip to the infirmary. That is, until Ben and the rest of the boys showed up.


	6. To Forgive and Forget

To those that have read this story, thank you for reading it. I hope that you enjoy this next addition to a Black and White story.

Although I would love to be JK Rowling, I sadly am not. So that also means that I do not own Harry Potter. I never have and never will.

Without further adieu, on with the story!

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><p>"What are you doing near my sister Black?" Ben demanded.<p>

Ursula was about to snap back at him but Annabelle spoke first,

"Mum didn't raise you to talk to a girl like that Benny."

Ben looked gob smacked, "You're defending her! She called you a Death Eater!"

"If I recall correctly," Annabelle said calmly, "I was the one to accuse both Blacks of being Death Eaters. For that I apologize."

All the boys were staring at her with slack jaws. They couldn't believe their ears. According to Ben, his sister was less likely to apologize than Voldemort was to admit that he was a muggleborn. It was just then that Sirius realized the state his twin was in. He ran forward but was stopped by Ursula's glare.

"Don't come near me," she growled.

He just stared at her gob smacked, "What? I'm your brother!"

"You sure know how to show it."

It was then that James decided to open his big mouth, "Just leave it Sirius. She's just being a stupid girl."

James glared at her before walking away. Sirius glared at Ursula before following his new friend. Ursula had it and started shouting, "You walk away you little coward! You can't even defend you own sister from the rest of our insane family! ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME!" She shouted as the rest of the boys followed the other two.

Ben had walked away after giving his sister an odd look. Peter and Remus had given her apologetic looks before they scurried after their three friends.

The shouting, Ursula quickly realized, was probably not the best idea. She heard voices as black dots started to block her vision. Her head felt like it was being trampled in by an entire herd of centaurs.

"Black?"

She heard faintly. She didn't have time to respond before she collapsed.

"SHIT, Black, what the hell! You better not die because Minerva would kill me!"

Ursula tried, she honestly tried, to stand up but it was impossible. It was like Bellatrix's curse had banished all the muscles from her legs.

Annabelle reacted quickly and scooped the girl up with her quick Quidditch reflexes. Ursula lost consciousness moments later.

"What's going on here?" Lily Evans asked as she walked around the corner with Elyse.

Annabelle ignored the girls and hurried towards the infirmary. Elyse and Lily saw who was in her arms when she walked past them.

"Woot 'appened teh 'er?" Elyse asked concern for her previously missing friend.

"Listen, I don't have the time to explain, nor do I really want to. Get the hell out of my way and let me get to the bloody infirmary!" Annabelle snapped and left two dazed girls behind her.

When Annabelle burst into the infirmary, she shouted, "OH POPPY! I NEED SOME HELP HERE!"

"I just patched up Mr. Longbottom fifteen—oh sweet Merlin, put her on down here." Madame Pomfrey lost color when she saw the state of the small girl.

"What did you do to her!" The nurse demanded.

"I found her like this in the hallway," the lie rolled off her tongue easily. "I was with the boys and they heard footsteps and went to check it out. I brought her to the infirmary."

"Fine. Leave now; I have a lot of work to do."

Ten minutes later, Annabelle walked back into her home away from home. Sitting on the girls' stairs, there was a group of third year girls that were just chatting away like birds. There was a group of mixed genders sitting around the curve of the bookshelf and were doing homework...and throwing books at each other...? Annabelle snorted when it turned into an all out screaming match if Professor Hesleden, the DADA teacher, had blue eyes or green.

"Oi! Annie, over here!" A male voice shouted from the couch.

Annabelle smiled and when she got close enough she slapped Gideon on the back of his head. He yelped in pain and started grumbling about unappreciative friends, but smiling the whole time. She moved to the identical boy sitting on the armchair and settled on his lap.

"So where were you? You missed a pretty wicked fight!" Fabien's bright blue eyes twinkled with mischief.

"I took Black to the infirmary. Bellatrix is going to regret using those types of spells on a first year that doesn't even know how to send sparks out of her wand."

"Says you who was planning her downfall," Benjy said lazily from the floor. He was leaning against the sofa and was reading a book.

Annabelle just raised an eyebrow, "Who the hell let the Hufflepuff in?" Ben didn't dignify her with a response and continued to read his book in peace. Well, in as much peace you can get in the Gryffindor Common Room.

"The better question, my dear lady," Frank drawled, "is what the hell _is_ a Hufflepuff?"

"Great question Longass. Why don't you walk up to Dumbledore tonight at dinner and ask him that. He's got to know the answer." Fabien challenged him.

Frank got an evil glint in his eye that could never mean anything good. Annabelle then noticed that he had a bandage wrapped around his hand.

"What happened to you Frank?" She asked eyeing the white fabric.

He rubbed it absentmindedly, "Malfoy sent a spell that I thought I blocked. It hit my hand and caught on fire. It bloody hurt!"

"Did Poppy say that Black is going to be okay?" Gideon asked with some genuine worry.

Annabelle just shrugged, "She said that she had a lot of work to do and kicked me out. We'll visit after dinner to make sure she hasn't died."

"Who might die?" Ben asked as he walked towards his sister, stopping at the couch. James and Sirius were with him while Remus seemed to be hanging towards the back. Peter and Elyse were nowhere to be seen.

"Seemed like you cared earlier," Annabelle shot back at him with a harsh tone.

Ben seemed surprised at her hostility, "What did I do?"

"It's Ursula Black. We found her when your cousin Bellatrix decided to use some dark magic on her. Guess while you're basking in the glory of being Gryffindor's new poster child for being a blood traitor you seem to forget the small things," Frank growled at Sirius, who was getting paler and paler as Frank went on.

"What do you mean? She's going to be okay right?" He asked them for reassurance.

When they were silent, Sirius ran out of the common room with Ben and Remus at his heals. James sighed in annoyance before he too followed his friends out of the room.

"Stupid first year Gryffindors." Benjy muttered.

He yelped as he was pelted with four pillows.

"That's it Huffy; time for you to go back to the hive."

* * *

><p>Ursula was sitting on the edge of the hospital bed, her feet swinging back and forth as she tried to avoid looking McGonagall in the eye.<p>

"Are you sure that you didn't see you attackers Miss Black," McGonagall's concerned voice made it impossible for her to lie to her.

"I'm sure."

McGonagall sighed, "It is a serious offence and whoever did this to you should be punished. It is not acceptable in this school to hex first years."

"What about coloring their hair?" She muttered to herself.

"What-" The transfiguration teacher couldn't finish as the door burst open. Elyse was pulling on Sirius's arm, trying to hold him back while Lily did the same to Ben.

"Sorry, Ursula!" Lily shouted over the boy's loud talking.

"Let me bloody go! I want to make sure my sister is okay!" Sirius wrenched himself free and ran to his sister's side.

"What happened? White was saying something you almost dying earlier," he said as sat down next to her and gently grabbed her shoulders and moved her a little bit so he could do his own visual check on her.

"Nothing happened. I just want to go to dinner, I'm starving."

Ursula hopped off the bed and almost lost her balance if it weren't for the four pairs of hands that flew out to steady her. McGonagall seemed to have other ideas about where she would be going,

"I think not Miss Black. You were just subjected to some pretty serious curses and you are in no shape to be leaving this infirmary."

"But Professor, Madame Pomfrey said that I could go once I felt up to it. The spells left no lasting damage."

McGonagall sighed, seeing a lost cause for what it was. "Fine, you may go to the Great Hall. But at least two of your friends must be with you at one time or another. If at any time you do not feel well, return here at once. Am I clear?"

"Crystal. Now, if you don't mind, I would love to get some food in my tummy since I haven't eaten since breakfast."

The entire group of first years moved out of the infirmary and towards the Great Hall.

"I'm sorry about overreacting. It's just that-" Ben was cut off from his apology.

"She's your sister. I get it; I would do the same if someone offended Sirius."

Sirius got a stupid look on his face as he slung his arm over her shoulders, "I always knew you loved me."

She glared at him and he quickly removed his arm and rubbed the back of his neck nervously, "I am sorry about acting like a prat earlier. I promise that will never happen again."

Ursula and Elyse both snorted.

"Like 'hat will eva 'appen." Elyse said with an eye roll.

Thus began the never ending argument between Elyse and Sirius if he could not be a prat. Lily was having a similar argument with James. Ben began trying to mediate Sirius and Elyse's argument while Remus tried to gently intervene on James and Lily's little spat.

Ursula laughed at them but then winced when a pain shot up her side.

"Are you alright Ursula?" Peter asked as he put a gentle hand on her shoulder.

She smiled, "I'll be fine Pete. Thanks for asking."

He just shrugged with a shy smile, "That's what friends are for."

They had finally reached the Great Hall and they found a seat near the front end of the table. They just began to start eating when Ben asked what had been on everyone's mind.

"So what really happened today, Ursula?"

She looked around nervously, "I got hexed by some Slytherins, that's it."

"Likely story," James said. "But we heard you say that you didn't know who hexed you when McGonagall asked. Memory tampering?" He asked, with a slightly malicious smile.

She just glared at him, knocking his stupid smile off his face,

"It was my own bloody family okay? I got upset when mum didn't even bother to mention me in the howler because I've been a disgrace since I was born because I'm a girl. Have you ever felt unloved by your parents Potter? You're the bloody apple of their eyes! So I went to the library to get away from all the idiots like you and when I decided to come back, I ran into my lovely cousin Bellatrix."

James had paled considerably, "Ursula-"

"That's not even the end of it. Apparently, I would make a perfect spy on Gryffindor. Obviously I refused and sweet Bella decided that I was in need of a lesson. Ben's sister shows up with a couple guys. They save me. The end."

The section of their table was absolutely silent. The two girls were glaring at the boys for being so stupid. All the boys had the decency to look embarrassed.

"This is why I think all boys are prats," Lily said before she excused herself from her spot and went to go sit with some of the other girls from her dorm.

"How about we start over, eh? Hello, my name is James Potter and I'm the best thing to enter this world since Quidditch."

Everyone's eyes except Elyse's lit up as James mentioned the spot.

"What's Quidditch?" She asked.

That went into a very long winded explanation about Quidditch. Elyse was saved from information overload when Frank Longbottom dramatically walked forward and knelt in front of the headmaster's chair.

"Oh, honorable, fearless leader! I have become lost on my journey and in need of some your infinite knowledge to continue on the honorable path," Frank bowed his head and kept a straight face amongst the laughs.

Dumbledore smiled down at the teenager,

"What troubles you, my young son?"

"I have searched and searched for an answer to the question that has plagued my life for so long! I no longer have anywhere else to turn! Just assure me that I am worthy enough to be in your presence before I, a mere mortal, ask the question."

Dumbledore was openly chuckling by now. A few of the teachers were in hysterics but most were holding it in pretty well. McGonagall was hiding her face behind her hands while Slughorn was laughing so hard that he was practically falling off the chair.

"Rise, son. No one is unworthy in my eyes." The Headmaster said with a bright twinkle to his eyes.

Frank widened his eyes and quickly rose to his feet,

"Thank you, kind sir. You're generosity will not be forgotten anytime soon."

"Just ask your question so you can continue you journey." Dumbledore prompted.

The Gryffindor cleared his throat and waited until all the laughter had died down. Then in the most serious expression anyone had ever seen on the jokester's face, he asked,

"What the _hell_ is a Hufflepuff?"


	7. Water Under the Bridge

Sorry it has taken me so long to update. I had the worst case of writer's block trying to write this. I had promised myself that I would update at least once every week, but I have realized that with the two advanced placement classes and two honors classes (Go Physics and Precalculus!) that is very unlikely. Still, I will update as soon as I can.

I don't feel that this is the best chapter, but I cannot think of a way to make it better and I also just wanted to put something out there. When this phase of writer's block has passed, I will probably come back to this and fix it. Until then, be satisfied with this.

One more thing I think you should know before starting the story. The review from chapter three was the first one I received, making me so happy that someone liked my story enough to comment that I wrote chapter four the next day. The review I got from the insanely nice and complimentary DobbysArmy inspired me to write chapter six in half an hour. The last chapter had only one review, one that I very much appreciated, but I need more than that people! Let your voice be heard and tell me what you like or if you have something that you want to see or something explained. The writer's job is to please the audience but I can't continue to guess that you guys like this enough to see if I randomly updated. I don't know if you have realized this or not, but this story is going to cover from their first year and then about two years after they graduate. I have chapters written for when they get older, but I can't post those until I get out of first and second year. So please, have some pity on the poor writer (That doesn't own Harry Potter and never will) that just wants to give you a good story and review.

Sorry about that small rant, but I deem it necessary. And just so I don't sound like one of those demanding writers that will only update after receiving a certain amount of reviews, I will assure you that I will update again if I get no reviews; it will just take much longer.

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><p>Elyse and Ursula had gone up to the boy's dorm after dinner. The main topic of their discussion was Frank Longbottom's display at dinner. For his act, Frank lost fifteen points for inappropriate language and offending another house. When he tried to point out that his best friend was a Hufflepuff and they were hanging out in Gryffindor Tower earlier that day, he got issued a detention for insubordination. Frank took the punishment with grace since Dumbledore told him that while he couldn't answer that at the moment, if Frank asked after he graduated then he would be sure to answer his question.<p>

"Did you see McGonagall's face when Longbottom asked Dumbledore what the hell a Hufflepuff was? That was priceless," Peter laughed at the memory of her face.

"That was pretty brilliant. One second she was actually smiling and then the next moment, snap," Ben snapped his fingers, "She looks like she was going to murder him."

"I was surprised when the Hufflepuffs started laughing," Remus said.

Ursula laughed and threw her arm around his shoulders, "Remus, they don't even know what a Hufflepuff is so they were happy when someone finally asked."

"Too bad Dumbledore wouldn't tell him," Sirius said disappointed.

Elyse shrugged, "eh, it don't seem 'hat—" She cut off and her eyes glazed over. It lasted only fifteen seconds. When her eyes refocused, she smiled evilly.

The boys regarded her warily.

"What just happened?" Ben asked the girls.

They shared a look, their eyes having a silent conversation. Finally Elyse opened her mouth and started to explain,

"I'm a seer; I kin see teh future at will."

"Wicked," all the boys said in an awed whisper. Their eyes were wide and their mouths were practically touching the floor.

While James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter started asking Elyse all sorts of questions, Ben pulled Ursula to the hallway just outside of the room.

"I wanted to apologize. I know that my sister was out of line with her comments and I overreacted just a bit."

Ursula raised an eyebrow, "just a bit!'

He gave her a shaky smile, "I'm saying that I'm sorry."

"It's fine, Ben. But just to let you know, I allow my friends one mess up before I kick them to the curb so consider this your free pass." She shook her finger at him in a mock-serious manner.

He laughed, "Consider it considered. Now let's get back in there before they try to force Elyse tries to push them out of the window."

They walked back in the room where Peter and Sirius were pouting at Elyse while James was sulking in the corner. Remus looked petrified and he was now reading a book with shaking hands.

"What happened in the thirty seconds we were gone?" Ben asked shocked.

Peter pointed his finger at Elyse, "She won't tell us what she saw!" He whined.

Ben rolled his eyes and he walked across the room towards his bed, "Of course she can't; it's against Wizard Law if it directly relates to you."

"But what if it directly relates to her?" James asked.

Ben jumped onto his bed and made himself comfortable before he shrugged his shoulders, "Well, I guess it is technically against the law but I don't think that anyone is going to be running to the ministry to tell them what's going on with our little red-headed friend over there."

Sirius rolled his eyes and threw a pillow at Ben, hitting him right in the face, "You're one to talk! You're hair is redder than her's."

"Is not."

"Is too."

"Is not."

"Is too"

"Is not."

"Is too."

"Is not."

"Is too"

"Oi, just shut up already," James complained from his bed and threw a pillow at Ben.

Ben caught the pillow and put it under his head, "Thanks for the pillow James."

Sirius laughed at James's face; he looked put out. Ursula took pity on James who seemed to be taking blow after blow from the other boys.

"Sirius, shut up."

"I don't have to listen to you," Sirius started out strong but withered under her glare.

A knock at the door saved Sirius from his sister.

"It's open," James called.

"Mate, it's locked," Peter reminded him.

James smiled wickedly when a loud bang echoed through the room as the person on the other side tried to walk into. There was laughter on both sides of the oak door.

Remus, the closest to the door, got up and slowly opened the door to reveal the Prewitt twins. Gideon was rubbing his nose and swearing under his breath.

"What are you doing here?" Peter asked, wary of the twins that the prefects had warned them about.

Fabien smiled at the young boy, scaring him while the other brother turned to look at Ursula,

"We just wanted to make sure girl Black is okay."

"She has a name," Sirius spat at them, defending his only sister.

Fabien raised his eyebrows, "Surprising quick to defend the girl you abandoned." he mused aloud with a small smirk on his face.

"I didn't abandon her!" Sirius shouted, getting off his bed and grabbing hold of the wand that was resting on his nightstand and clenched it tightly in his fist.

Ursula, realizing the seriousness of the situation, grabbed her brother by the arm and pulled him out of the room saying quickly, "I'm fine, never better, got to go," before dragging Sirius out of the room. She pulled him through the relatively empty halls until they were outside. She had a feeling that he was going to explode and let the only thing he inherited from their mother out- his temper. What she didn't expect from him was to sit at the base of a tree and hide his face in his hands.

"I'm a horrible brother, aren't I?" He asked in a soft voice.

Ursula stood in front of her brother in shock, "Why would you think that?"

"I sided with a kid who I knew for one day, over my sister about an argument about standing by your family no matter what! I must look like the world's biggest git," he scolded himself.

Ursula laughed as she sat down next to him, "Hate to break it to you Sirius, but you already looked like the world's biggest git before we got into this stupid fight."

Sirius laughed and shoved her shoulder gently, "Now tell me how you really feel, Sissy."

She laughed with him and they sat under the tree near the edge of the Black Lake. Sirius seemed to want to ask something but he didn't know how to say it. Eventually, he found his words,

"Is your friend Elyse really a seer?" He asked her.

"She says she has visions—"

He cut her off, "But she could be lying. Do _you_ think she is a seer?"

Ursula thought about it a moment. Elyse had never given her a reason to doubt her before.

"I think she is. She seemed really shocked when I told her that all wizards can't see the future. Plus, McGonagall thinks that she is so says a lot right there. Why are you asking?"

He shrugged, "It is just a little weird."

"Like we're completely normal," Ursula scoffed.

Sirius rolled his eyes, "You know what I mean. I mean, she could have a vision where we are naked or something!" He said scandalized.

"Merlin, you're worse than a girl. And even if she did see that, she's not allowed to tell you about it so you will never know in the first place."

"But the possibility will always be there!"

She was about to respond when suddenly,

"Like I would want teh see 'hat!" Elyse exclaimed before joining the twins. Ben and James were with her.

"Where are Remus and Peter?" Ursula asked, wondering about the location of her other two friends.

"Peter almost blew up his pillow trying to do a simple charm so Lupin decided to stay back and help him since he already mastered the spell." James explained as he stretched out. HE yawned quite obnoxiously before adding, "There's something about him."

"Who?" Elyse asked.

"Remus, he acts so weird around us, like he doesn't want to be friends with us or something. We try to include him but he acts like he's too good for us."

"Because, of course, nothing is better than James Potter," Ursula said sarcastically.

James smiled crookedly, "But of course my fair lady. I am the best thing in the world."

"He's got an ego big enough to challenge the world and win," Sirius whispered in Ursula's ear.

She laughed loudly at the comment even though it wasn't that funny, but when she saw James's confused face, she couldn't breathe she was laughing so hard. Sirius's laughter joined hers, followed by Elyse, and then eventually James gave in and started laughing with them.

"We're all bloody insane," Elyse gasped out.

The Black twins and James nodded all at once before saying, "Yup," simultaneously.

That sent them into another round of laughter that cemented their friendship together.


	8. The Beginning of a Pattern

I am so so so so so sorry that I haven't update in so long. Life just got so hectic and I had writers block. Thankfully things have calmed down and I also got past my writer's block. The next chapter should be posted with four to five days. I can assure you that I will try never to do the whole disappearing off the face of the face of the Earth thing again. While this is a little bit of a shorter chapter compared to the others, I hope you enjoy.

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><p><em>"Are we ready to do this? We all know the consequences; we could be thrown in Azkaban for fifteen years if we were ever caught. Does anyone want to back out?" Ursula asked, eying the group around her. She met her brother's eyes first. He looked oddly serious, no pun intended. Sirius nodded once, taking the offered bottle from her hand.<em>

_She looked over to James and he nodded with a roguish smiled,_

_ "Stop being such a worry wart! What could go wrong?" He asked as he took his own bottle._

_ "Besides teh possibility of dyin' becurse te potion wasn't made te perfection? Or what 'bout 'he fact ye might not completely change. Or-"_

_ "We get the point Lysie." James said, grimacing. _

_The red head chuckled and grabbed a bottle of whatever was on the table while Peter grabbed on._

Elyse sat up with a gasp in the middle of night. The dorm was dark and Ursula started mumbling something about evil, purple potion masters. She quickly reached into her nightstand and grabbed the magical journal that Dumbledore gave her to record her visions. Whatever she wrote down would only show up once it had happened or if she decided the person needed to see it. Otherwise, it would look like a plain book.

One by one, she started to sketch her future friends down to the last strand of hair of hair sticking up from James's head. Once she was done with the outline, she grabbed her colored paints and colored in all the people and left the outline left in black and white.

Once she was done, she fell asleep.

* * *

><p>"Did you notice anything wrong with Remus today?" Ben asked Peter, Ursula, and Elyse as they were waiting outside the Transfiguration room. Sirius and James were supposed to be changing a match to a needle. They had been extremely successful and decided to use their plethora of needles to pin Severus Snape to the wall. Neither McGonagall nor Lily was pleased and now the boys were being lectured and more than likely receiving detention from the professor.<p>

"He's always been quiet," Peter pointed out.

Ben made a face of confused acceptance, "I know that but he looks like if you hit with a tickling hex he would fall over and die. It's odd."

"He missed Charms; he never misses class. Something has to be wrong." Ursula said, now just as worried as Ben.

Before Ben could comment, James and Sirius emerged from the classroom; both of them had smirks plastered over their faces. Sirius threw his arm around his sister's shoulder,

"We got detention this Friday and we both lost ten house points, but seeing Snape's face was bloody brilliant!"

"Did you see him crying?" James asked excitedly as he led them back towards the common room. He spun on his heals to face them, "His big nose caused his sniffles to be ten times worse!"

"Severus Sniffles Snape," Peter joked.

"Snivellus!" Sirius exclaimed before falling into a fit of laughter. James nearly fell backwards he was laughing so hard. Ursula thought that Peter was going to wet his pants. Ursula just shared a look with Elyse clearly saying, 'boys; can live with them, can't live without them' and Elyse just smiled.

Ben didn't seem to be paying any attention at all to the rest of them. He had a thoughtful look on his face before he finally looked like he made up his mind. He adjusted the strap of his shoulder bag and quickly took off, shouting behind him, "I'm going back to the dorms. Do whatever you want just don't get expelled!"

"YES DAD!" Peter shouted back at him.

"NEVER!" James and Sirius shouted at the same time before they ran off in the opposite direction. After a moment, Ursula, Elyse, and Peter were chasing after them which led to one of the largest game tag that Hogwarts had ever seen.

* * *

><p>The boys' first year dormitory was dead silent. Beds were left unmade as the boys that lived there woke up late that morning and scrambled to get to class on time. There were clothes scattered across the room and books looked like they were caught in a middle of a game of hide and seek. The drapes were pulled close, blocking out the shimmering sun that picked up on the magic in the air and amplified it.<p>

Disturbing his perfectly made bed, Remus laid on top of it and had his wand next to him while reading a book. The dull light that mimicked one of a candle licked his scarred face. His skin looked especially pale and he looked like he would break if you touched him.

"Remus?" Ben asked softly from the doorway.

The reaction was instantaneous. Remus jumped a foot in the air, knocking his book and wand to the ground. The wand rolled under the bed as the light went out.

"He- hello Ben." Remus said while he tried to grab his wand in a frantic manner. "What are you doing here?"

Ben eyed his friend warily as he walked over to the other side of the bed and easily bent down and picked up the offending piece of wood.

"You didn't look good in transfiguration and then you went missing in charms. Ursula and I were worried about you."

Remus shook his head in a jerky manner as he stood back up, "I haven't been feeling well, that's all." Remus wouldn't look at Ben.'

"Do you want to go to Madame Pomfrey?" Ben asked.

Remus shook his head and said, "I'll go later tonight if I don't feel better, I promise," he added when he couldn't sight of Ben's disbelieving look.

Ben sighed, knowing defeat when he saw it, "Alright mate. Do you want to know what we went over in Charms? I could give you my notes."

Remus looked at him oddly for a moment before nodding slowly. Ben went digging into his bag for the notes when Remus asked him something that he wouldn't forget.

"Why are you doing this for me?"

Ben looked him straight in the eye and said, "You're my friend and friends don't leave friends behind."

They spent the next three hours working on all their homework.


	9. Happy Birthday

Just like I promised in the last chapter, here is chapter nine. This is not my most recent update you could say since I added a one-shot spin off from this story. It was an idea that was stuck in my head that connected to this story but it didn't really fit the time line. So I published it under She's My Hero. Please go check it out and leave your thoughts. If you like that one, then I might add more like that.

Thanks to DobbysArmy for being the most faithful reviewer I have ever seen on this website. I greatly appreciate your thoughts at the end of each chapter; no matter how few or how many.

I haven't owned Harry Potter for the last eight chapters. Is anyone else picking up a trend here?

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><p>It was five o'clock in the morning. The Gryffindor Tower was dead silent for all of her students were fast asleep in their beds. That is, all except three. Three red heads moved as silently as they could down the boys' stairs from the seventh year dorm.<p>

"I still don't get why girls can get up our stairs but we can't get up theirs." Fabian complained.

Annabelle gently smacked him on the back of the head, "It's because there is a thing called Chivalry. It's one of the qualities of our house; look it up in a book."

"But I hate reading!" He whined.

Gideon snorted, "More like he can't. OUCH!" Fabian pushed him in the stone wall.

"Remind us again why we are doing this again?" Fabian asked. Gideon glared at his twin and rubbed his right arm.

Annabelle rolled her eyes at the pair. She gave Gideon a quick kiss on the lips and then explained to the other Prewitt, "Because, it's not every day your little brother turns twelve and you can do magic."

"Very true, my love," Gideon said.

The three slowly opened the door to the first year's room and waved their wands around. The twins smirked when they were done.

"They are going to kill him."

Annabelle snorted, "After they kill us."

* * *

><p>Ben groggily opened his eyes and when his mind started to wake up; he realized that it was September 25th. It was his birthday and he was now 12.<p>

There was a loud explosion, scaring all the boys in the room awake. Brightly colored confetti started falling from the ceiling and balloon appeared out of now where and practically covered the room. When the chaos ended the boys were sitting up in shock in their beds.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY LITTLE BROTHER!" Annabelle's voice was amplified in the room. Then the Prewitt twins were heard singing a ghastly rendition of Happy Birthday.

The three boys in the room turned and glared at Ben. Expecting to be kicked out his room, Ben squeezed his eyes shut and prepared for the yelling that was bound to be directed at him.

"Why didn't you tell us it was your birthday?" James asked outraged.

"Yeah, we would have done much worse than this if we had known!" Sirius added.

Ben opened his eyes and looked at them shocked, "You're not mad?"

"Oh, don't get us wrong, we are mad as hell." Peter said. "You have ten seconds to run. Ten. Nine."

Ben shot out of his bed and ran out of the room. Behind him he heard the other boys scramble out of their beds and they chased him down the stairs. He had almost gotten to the portrait door when he was tackled from behind.

He struggled under James but his attempts were futile. Sirius and Peter both joined the struggle and pinned Ben down on the ground. James was sitting on top of him while Peter and Sirius were holding his arms down.

Ben had no idea what was about to happen when suddenly,

"What in Merlin's name are you doing to Ben?" Ursula asked. She was still wearing her night robes and her hair thick, curly hair looked very similar to Bellatrix's hair.

"We had an interesting wakeup call this morning." Sirius explained to his sister.

"Woot 'appened?" Elyse asked. She was dressed different than Ursula. She was wearing muggle pajamas her red hair was pulled back into a ponytail.

"His sister and her friends left him a birthday wake up call."

Elyse started laughing but Ursula glared at Ben, "Why didn't you tell us it was your birthday? None of us got you anything!"

Ben shrugged as much as he could lying on the ground with his arms pinned down, "I didn't want to make a big deal out of it."

Her glare intensified and he shirked her glare. There were footsteps behind them and then there was laughter.

"And you thought they would kill us first. Looks like you wrong Annie." Fabien teased his brother's girlfriend.

Ben used his friend's distraction to his advantage and squirmed out of their grip. He jumped to his feet and ran behind Ursula and Elyse.

"Are you hiding behind a pair of girls?" James asked him mockingly.

The now twelve year old gave him an incredulous look, "It's not any pair of girls."

"All girls are the same," James scoffed.

Elyse raised her eyebrows and looked mad, "Would yeh like teh repeat 'hat, James?"

He took one look at girls' fierce glare and stared back defiantly but he notably didn't move any closer to them.

Gideon tapped Fabian on the shoulder, "Look at that, they already have them whipped."

His twin nodded in agreement. Annabelle turned sharply and glared at the twins, "What did you say?

"Nothing."

* * *

><p>The group of first year Gryffindor's had just walked into Charms when Ursula realized someone was missing.<p>

"Where's Remus?" She asked.

James, Peter, and Sirius looked at each other for the answer, panicking that they lost their friend. Ben calmly put his books down on his desk and answered,

"He didn't look good yesterday so he probably went to the hospital wing."

Ursula looked cross, "He's my partner and we're starting a new spell today." She complained.

"Excuse me,"

The dark haired girl turned and saw Lily Evans looking up at her from her seat, "Alice decided to work with Marlene today. You could work with me if you want to."

Ursula smiled and quickly sat down in the offered seat, "Thanks Lily. I didn't want to get stuck with a Slytherin."

Now it was Lily's turn to look cross, "All Slytherins aren't bad! Just a few of them are bad people."

"No offense Lily, you have been in the magical world for about a month. I've grown up surrounded by Slytherins."

"That's just your family though—" Lily started to argue.

"It's their friends and acquaintances too. They all think that people like you shouldn't study magic. They think you are better dead than alive just because your family hasn't been magical for hundreds of years. Find me a Slytherin that doesn't believe that and I'll take back what I said." Ursula asserted, shocked that such an intelligent girl could be so naïve.

"Severus Snape." Lily named. "He's the one that taught me all about Hogwarts. He's a good person."

Ursula looked at her disbelieving, "I highly doubt that Lily. Slytherins are extremely cunning. They can make themselves look like saints one minute and the devil next."

Flitwick walked into the room silencing the entire class.

"Today we will work on the levitation charm. It's a fairly simple wand movement. Swish and Flick. The spell is pronounced Wingardium Leviosa. Repeat after me. Wingardium Leviosa"

"Wingardium Leviosa" The class said back lazily.

"Wonderful! Please send one member of your group to get a feather to practice on!"

Without saying a word, Lily got up from her seat and returned with two feathers seconds later. Ursula could tell that something was bothering her, but she couldn't name it. Lily wouldn't look at her and spent all her time meticulously working on the wand movement.

"What's wrong with you?" Ursula asked, not meaning it to come out harshly.

Lily just shrugged, "I just don't like it when people judge other people before they meet someone. Severus could be a perfectly wonderful person and you would never know because you're friends with Potter." She sneered the last name.

Ursula looked rightfully chastened. She had done nothing to stop her brother and her friend from bullying Severus in Transfiguration yesterday. But then she thought of the times in potions a week ago when Snape 'accidentally' spilled a potion on James and Peter and they were hospitalized for a day.

"Let's call a truce. You won't talk badly about James and I won't talk badly about Snape, deal?"

Lily nodded with a smile and held her hand out for Ursula to shake, "Deal. I don't want to mad at you since we live in the same dorm."

The rest of the class went by smoothly. Lily would ask Ursula questions about the magical world and she would try to answer them the best she could. But by the end of class, Ursula couldn't believe that someone so innocent looking could cause someone's head to implode with questions.

* * *

><p>Later that night all the first year Gryffindors were sitting together t o share a meal. It was technically the first time they had sat as one since their sorting almost a month ago. Alice and Mary were questioning Elyse about some muggle magazine they saw over summer break. The boys and Ursula were talking about the most recent Quidditch match in which the Harpies won an upset game against Puddlemere United. Marlene and Lily were talking about a potions assignment that no one wanted to do except them.<p>

Still, there was one member of the year, not noticeably missing. Ben had been watching the door the entire night waiting for Remus to walk in, but the boy never came. But someone else did walk up to the group.

A small mix of sixth year and seventh year Gryffindors plus a single Hufflepuff all stood up and walked towards the end of the table. Leading the group was Annabelle who had a vanilla cake covered in strawberry frosting with the words "Happy 12th Birthday Ben" in neat handwriting. Behind her, Frank, Gideon, Fabian, and Benjy carried small parcels.

Ben turned as red as his hair. His friends laughed at his expense when Annabelle gave his a hug for the entire hall to see followed by a kiss to the cheek.

"Happy birthday little brother. I know you can't really use these here, but…"

Ignoring the stares of his year mates – and half the school – he opened his presents. In one of the larger boxes was an intricately carfted metronome. On the back in gold plating was his name written in calligraphy _Benjamin William White_. The other packages held scores of new violin, piano, and vocal charts. He looked at them shocked that his sister would go out her way to find all the pieces he had mentioned over the summer. He stood up and gave her a hug.

"Woot did she give yeh?" Elyse asked.

Ben turned red at all the scrutinizing looks. He held them out for her to take and the rest quickly strained their necks to get a good look.

"Music?" Sirius asked slightly confused.

"Really?" James asked disbelieving.

"You can play this?" Ursula asked shocked as she looked at the page that was practically colored in with music notes.

"Wicked," Elyse breathed under her breath.

Ben took them back, "I'm going to go back to the rooms. Thanks again Belle." He grabbed two pieces of cake and started to walk away before Annabelle pulled him back. She ruffled his hair, allowing him to call her that horrid nickname.

As Ben escaped from all the judgmental eyes and he felt mixed emotions. Appreciation that his sister went out and spent all that money for his hobby and embarrassment that everyone would make fun of him. He could be the best runner and best flyer in all of Godric's Hallow but the second people found out he sang and played the violin, the teasing started.

When he got to his room he quickly but carefully put his new music and metronome at the bottom of his trunk.

Deciding that he shouldn't spend his birthday alone in his room, he decided to check up on Remus in the infirmary. Most of the students were still at dinner so he quickly got to the hospital wing.

"What's wrong with you?" Madame Pomfrey asked him the second he walked in. This was her second year working here; the last nurse had been driven out by the Prewitt twins who would come in with fake but extremely gory looking injuries. But it seemed the they had met their match in Poppy Pomfrey.

"I'm here to visit Remus Lupin if you'll allow it."

She shook her head harshly and went back to organizing some medicine bottles, "I will not allow it. Go back to your dorm, young man."

So nice wasn't going to work.

"Please, Madame Pomfrey, it's my birthday and I just want to see my friend. He's been gone all day. I brought him a piece of my birthday cake." He tried quilt tripping her.

"No."

Maybe bargaining?

"I promise I will only be here for a short time. If he wants me to leave then I will. Anyway, I'm not afraid of catching whatever he has."

She seemed to be cracking, "Mr…"

"White. My name's Benjamin White."

Pomfrey sighed and turned to get a good look at him, "Of course, Miss White's little brother. If I know her at all and you are anything like her, you aren't leaving until you see him."

"Yup."

"You have thirty minutes before curfew. You must be back in your dorm by then, do you understand."

"Crystal, thank you." He said with a smile. He walked farther into the infirmary and he saw Remus sitting up in bed, hunched over a book.

Ben grabbed a nearby chair and pulled it over to the bed. It made a loud almost screech like sound that scared Remus.

"What are you doing here?" Remus asked, pulling the blankets up to his neck.

Ben shrugged, grabbing a piece of cake and starting to munch on it, "What a way to greet a friend on their birthday. 'what are you doing here'. I feel the love, mate."

It just so happened that the light hit Remus's face in just the right way that a bright new scar was vivid across his cheek. Ben's eyes widened and his fork froze mid way to his mouth.

"Merlin's sagging nuts, what happened to you?"

"You see—interesting story. I was umm…there….um…" Remus stuttered. "When I was on my way to here, a Ravenclaw knocked into me and I fell half way down a flight of stairs." The explanation came out too much like a question.

Ben had a look of 'I-will-believe-that-for-now' displayed blatantly across his face.

"Okay. Want a piece of cake?" Ben offered.

"What type is it?" Remus asked, glad that his answer had (temporarily) pacified his friend. He sat up a little straighter and let the blankets fall down to his waist. The t-shirt he was wearing covered his upper arms and stomach, but the bulky bandages were still visible beneath the shirt. Plus the scratches were plain as day on his arm.

"Vanilla cake with strawberry icing."

Remus made a face but took the offered treat.

"Do you have a problem with my cake choices?" Ben asked, teasing him.

"Yes, as a matter of fact I do," Remus shot back. "There's no chocolate. It's a mortal sin."

Ben laughed and soon Remus joined in. The next forty minutes were spent between the boys making jokes about their classmates and some (failed) attempts at mocking their teachers.

Remus was wiping tears from his eyes when Madame Pomfrey walked over. She had a soft smile on her face when she saw Remus smiling so brightly. The boy had seemed so depressed earlier. She gently placed her hand on Ben's shoulder,

"Mr. White, it's past curfew."

Ben got a panicked look in his eyes and he jumped up from the chair, "I am so sorry Madame Pomfrey, I promise this will never happen again and—"

She dismissed him with a wave of the hand, "It will be too late if this never happens again. Here is a pass to get back to Gryffindor Tower. If Mr. Flinch stops you, just show this." She handed him a white piece of paper.

Ben quickly said goodbye to his friend before running to Gryffindor Tower, not wanting to deal with the mean caretaker. He had heard horror stories of kids getting hung by their toes for being caught out past curfew.

He was almost to Gryffindor Tower when there was a soft meow. Ben would have never told anyone about the not so manly scream he let out, thinking that it was Mrs. Norris. It was just a pet that ventured out of its owner's house.

No one would have ever known. If of course, James Potter wasn't wandering around the hallway under his invisibility cloak.

The cat may have caused his heart to skip a beat but seeing James's smirking, floating head in the middle of the hallway gave him a full blown heart attack. If he wasn't so shocked, he was sure that he would have screamed again. Or passed out. Either one was a distinct possibility.

All he knew was this: He was never going to live that down.


	10. Letters From Home

When I began writing this, it wasn't going to be much but then the story seemed to take the lead and I was just following behind. It gives a little bit of the characters' home lives and little about some of their families. I wasn't going to update this soon, but I was in such a good mood that I wrote close to three thousand words in less than two hours. That's a new record for me.

Now, there is one thing I ask. Please review. This story is over 20,00 thousand words and there have only been reviews and four of them have been from the wonderful DobbysArmy. I just want to make sure that you like the story and if you want to see anything happen, leave it in a review. A few of DA's reviews have inspired whole chapters of this story. Keep that in mind when you are done. Also to keep in mind is my other story She's My Hero. It took me three hours to write that. It will take you five to read and leave a small review. That's all I'm going to say on that subject.

I hope you enjoy and without further delay, there is the tenth installment of A Black and White Story

*****IMPORTANT*****I just realized there was a minor typo in one of the letters. If you figured out my mistake when you first read it then you don't need to reread this. If you didn't catch it then just read the second letter, fourth paragraph. I apologize for making this look like another update.*****

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><p>Time seemed to fly at Hogwarts. There was never a dull moment in the halls. Elyse found herself falling more and more in love with the magical side of her. But then her chest would tighten uncomfortably as she thought about her family. McGonagall had explained to him how to use the owl system so they tried to send her letters. The first one arrived on October 31st, Halloween.<p>

_Elyse_

_We have missed you so much since you left for Hogwarts a month ago! Every morning little Jack asks "where Loosie go?" Even two year old Sean knows you aren't here anymore. They don't really know what is going on since they are likely to blurt out their sister in magical and we can't have that happening. Still, we read them a little bit of every letter you send us. _

_Your friends sound absolutely wonderful; especially Ursula and Peter. You said that most of them are all magical, right? Invite them over to the house over the summer so we can show them how muggles spend their time. _

_When you were describing your classes in your last letter, your father and I were astounded at what they are teaching you. We have so many questions that will have to wait for Winter Vacation. In the mean time, keep up with the amazing work, Nena._

_We love you and can't wait to see you!_

_Love,_

_Mum, Pop, Jack, and Sean_

_P.S. There are some pictures in the envelope that we thought you would like._

Elyse wiped tears from her eyes when she finished reading her mother's words. She had gotten so caught up in this new world that she completely forgot about her family. She reached into the envelope and found two pictures. One was a family portrait they took when they visited London last summer, posing in front of the Thames River. The other picture was of her little brothers. Jack, just four years old had hair as bright as her hair. His crystal blue eyes stared up at her, unmoving. Sean wasn't even looking at the camera. He was chewing on his own hand and looking at something off to the side of the camera. His straw yellow blonde hair and celery green eyes would make any girl melt just looking at the adorable two years old.

She pinned the pictures above her nightstand with two tacks she conjured up from two pieces of paper– something they just learned in Transfiguration last week.

Having to practically jump off her high bed, she looked back and admired her work.

There was a knock at the door and Elyse walked over to open the door, wondering who would be knocking on the door. Most of the time, the older girls would just walk in if they wanted to talk or drop something off for younger siblings.

"'Ello, Lily. Why's yeh knook?"

She just smiled as she walked further in the room, "I wanted to make sure no one was changing in here or something."

Elyse rolled her eyes and hopped back onto her bed, "We's goin' the be sharin' a room fer seven years, Lily. Soomone is goin' teh seh soomone naked at soom point."

Lily's cheek's tinged red, "I don't want to be rude. My sister hates it when I walk into her room without knocking."

"Me brothers are de same. They're wee little tykes though." Elyse thought back to all the times she would gently open the door and one of her brothers would start screaming, which would cause the other to scream. How two wee little babies made that much noise, Elyse had guessed magic at the time.

"How old are they?" Lily asked.

Elyse stretched across her bed and gently untacked the pictures. As she handed them to Lily who smiled when she saw the pair of boys, she said, "Jack's got teh red hair, he's four. Sean's teh blonde; he's two"

"That's a big age difference!" Lily said shocked.

"Me dad died 'hen I were one. Me mum remarried four year lawter. Tey came 'round a wee bit lawter."

Lily handed the pictures back, "What did you tell them when you left?"

Elyse shrugged, "Not mooch. Tey tawlk a loot so weh don't want tem teh tell soomone by accident."

"When my sister first heard I was a witch," Lily began sadly, a solemn look covered her face, "she called me a freak. We used to be so close, now she never responds back to any of my letters."

Elyse was about to comfort her roommate when there was a shout from the common room,

"ELYSE GET DOWN HERE! WE'RE GOING TO SEE WHO CAN BALANCE THEIR WAND ON THEIR NOSE THE LONGEST!" Sirius's voice carried up the stairwell.

The red-headed muggle born girl's eyes met right before Lily nodded and Elyse went sprinting down the stairs, shouting for them to wait for her.

* * *

><p>On November 28th, the owls made their morning delivery. Ursula and Sirius were shocked when they saw a semi-familiar owl swoop towards them. A thick envelope fell in front of the twins and Ursula slowly opened it. The letter was written on formal stationary of the highest quality. She scanned the letter, trying to see who wrote to her and her brother.<p>

"Who wrote that?" James asked between stuffing his face at breakfast.

Sirius shrugged and looked directly across the table at Ursula. Her brows furrowed as she tried to quickly understand who it was from, "It's from Uncle Alfred?"

"Who's that?" Sirius asked, not recognizing the name.

She shrugged and began to read the letter in more detail. When she finally understood what happened, her eyes widened a little bit and she seemed to perk up. She quickly handed Sirius the letter.

He read:

_Dear Sirius and Ursula,_

_I just receive post from your mother and I decided that now I much go against your mother's wishes. You may not remember me but I am your Uncle Alphard; you mother's older brother. I ask that you take the time to read this and not immediately throw it way. It will all be explained in this letter._

_Here's a little history about myself. When I went to Hogwarts I, just like all the Blacks before me, was sorted into Slytherin. Unlike the rest of the Black I did not and still don't hold any hatred towards muggles or muggleborns. This obviously caused problems between my siblings and me. When Walburga married Orion, she didn't even invite me to the wedding. When she had you two about a year later, I was banned from Grimmauld Place because she didn't want me to corrupt both of you. Obviously, my services were not needed and both of you succeeded in angering Wally. Well, only Sirius, but I will explain that later. _

_Wonderful job getting into Gryffindor; one of my closest friends was in Gryffindor. It wasn't the most orthodox friendship, but even to this day we would defend each other to the death. Gryffindors are known for being brave and true so I commend you on becoming that when you grew up in the environment you did._

_Now to explain why your mother is only angry at Sirius; she doesn't know Ursula is in Gryffindor. All the Head's of Houses send out letters to new students' parents after the sorting. McGonagall sent a letter to your home, but when it was read, only Sirius's name was on it. When my sister visited me, she showed me the letter. I could practically feel the magic affecting the letter. When I had some time to myself, I checked the letter. Someone magically removed all traces of Ursula being sorted. Since she didn't get a letter with your name, Ursula, she's assuming you're in Slytherin. Don't correct her. I will be at Christmas this year so I will make sure nothing happens when she find out._

_I have hated everyone in our family ever since I was kicked out of my childhood home after graduation, but now that you two have joined me, I can proudly say that I have family again. If you need anything at all – and I mean anything – feel free to ask. Do not think that you are intruding or exploiting me. I have built up quite a fortune in the last few decades being an old bachelor so money is no object. Even ignoring that fact, families do things like for each other. Never let your mother tell you otherwise._

_Congratulations on becoming a white sheep. _

_~Uncle Alphard_

Sirius looked up, shocked at his sister. They had never known about this uncle before. There were his father's sister and two brothers and then their mother's younger sister and brother that had already passed but that was it. No one named Alphard and definitely no one that thought muggles and muggleborns were okay and had a best friend in Gryffindor.

There _was _someone like them. They weren't alone.

* * *

><p>On November 15th, it was the day before a big event in the world of one certain Gryffindor. A female to be a little more precise. A first year to be even more specific. To give a fifty-fifty shot, it is a red head. The event in question?<p>

It was the first magical birthday for Elyse. Her friends had been planning for weeks to get her the best present. Her visions had given away their original gift, so they all pitched in and bought her something together. She had been drawing a lot in an intricate journal that only she could see, but Ursula had seen some sketches and Elyse had some talent. She wasn't Picasso, but she loved to draw.

They found an art set that a small book store in Hogsmeade sold in one of the catalogs Annabelle let them borrow when they were looking for ideas.

It was a muggle artist set. Everything from oils, to colored pencils, to paints, to charcoal was included in the set. It was affordable for them if they split the cost evenly and they would be able to hide it in the boys' room. There was only one problem:

They couldn't go to Hogsmeade.

Luckily, Remus told them that his parents live close to Hogsmeade so they could get it for them and then owl the package to them.

He got the package on Sunday morning the day before Elyse's birthday. The package was even wrapped already. Attached to the owl's leg was a letter from his parents.

_Remus,_

_You have no idea how much joy we felt when we read your letter about your friends! We were so worried about you not making friends at Hogwarts, but knowing that you are surrounded by such so many friends makes us feel so much better. James, Lily, Peter, and Benjamin sound like wonderful people and we would love to meet them sometime. _

_We don't want to sound negative, but are you sure you can trust the Blacks? When you said that there were two Blacks in Gryffindor, neither your father nor I could believe it. Their family is very dark and one of their good friends is the man that…well…let's just say there is some question about who gave Greyback the information on where you were that night. _

_And Elyse? The seer? What if she sees something Remus? You said she remembers all the visions she has so if she sees something and asks someone then there are going to be a lot of problems. She could get you kicked out of Hogwarts without realizing it, sweetheart. I don't want to see that happen._

_We love you and we just worry about you._

_Write home soon. _

_Love,_

_Mom and Dad_

The breath caught in Remus's thought when he took in his parent's words. He had had an idea about Ursula's and Sirius's family problems, but they had never given him a reason to doubt them. If anything, they were the ones that tried to hardest to be his friend.

He had never thought about Elyse having a vision and asking someone about it. Panic settled in his stomach. He felt nauseous, like he was going to throw up with all the terror that seemed to consume him. There was nothing he could do to stop that from happening unless he told her…

"Remus, are yeh decent?" A female voice shouted from the other side of the door.

If he felt like he was going to throw up earlier, then that was nothing compared to what he felt like at that second. Cold sweat seemed to cover his body and he could feel the hair on the back of his neck stand up straight.

Moving based on instinct, he quickly hid the present under his bed.

"De-Decent," He squeaked out.

Elyse opened the door and had a large smile on her face that quickly faded when she saw how her friend looked,

"Shamrock's Shorts, Remus, yeh lok like 'ell."

He let out a shaky breath and tried to smile reassuringly.

"I'm fine, I promise. I just need a moment."

"Are yeh sure? I kin get teh nurse o' someun," she offered.

He shook his head, "I'll be fine."

She nodded, "Alright. Just wanted teh tell yeh we's startin' a wizard chess tournament. Want teh join?"

He picked up a book that had escaped from his trunk, "I'll be down in a little bit. I just want to catch up on some reading" and try to get ahead on my homework because I will turn into a murdering monster in one week and miss class, he added in his head.

She shrugged, "Yeh's loos. See yah Remus."

Elyse gave him a small wave before turning to walk out of the room. Remus had an internal debate with himself before he practically shouted, "Elyse!"

She turned around and looked at him, "Woot?"

"If you had a vision of a person and you didn't understand it, who would you go for to find out what you saw?" He asked tentatively.

She looked confused at his question but answered anyway, "No un. I signed a contrawct in teh beginnin' oov teh year. I can't tell anyun aboot me visions."

Relief flooded his system, his secret was safe. She wouldn't rat him out because she _couldn't_ rat him out. He didn't know why he didn't remember that in the first place; seers have a strict set of rules they have to abide by.

Standing awkwardly in the room, Elyse smiled trying to diffuse the weird situation, "Yeh know, mate, yeh moot want teh unpack yeh's stuff. It's not like they's goin' teh kick yeh oot wit no notice o soomtin. Yeh's goin' teh be 'ere a wile."

He just shrugged before she walked out. Once she was gone, he muttered under his breath, "You have no idea how wrong you are."

Elyse's gift went over wonderfully. She absolutely loved her new art set and it was treated with reverence by the muggle born. If someone accidentally threw a shirt over the protective case it had, let's just say that she had inherited the temper that usually goes with red heads.

* * *

><p>November melted away into December and one morning at breakfast, a gorgeous brown owl swooped in front of James. It dropped a letter expertly just to the left of his food. He smiled when he saw the letter and he tore apart the envelope.<p>

_Dear James,_

_You're father and I spoke about it and we have agreed that you can invite your friends over for Christmas break. It would have to be after Christmas so they can spend the holiday with their own families, but anytime after is fine._

_We were also thinking of inviting their parents too. We would spend time with them of course while you and your friends run about. It thought it would be a wonderful chance to meet their families. An additional plus would be the Black's laying off Sirius and Ursula for a while. Not all the Blacks are bad; your father had a friend at Hogwarts who is a Black, so maybe we can break the ice a little bit._

_Pass the message along to your friends and write back their responses so we know how many people to expect._

_Love,_

_Mommy._

_P.S. I found you footie-pajamas that are covered in snitches. Do you want me to send them to you? _

"What's that?" Peter asked, trying to read over James's shoulder, as he chewed on a banana.

James held the letter close to his chest not wanting Peter to see the last bit his mom added. He was going to have to talk to her about that.

"Nothing."

Peter narrowed his watery eyes at him, "It doesn't look like nothing."

James calmly folded up the paper and stuck it deep into his messenger bag. When he straightened up, he threw an arm around Peter's shoulders and gave him a slight, half hug, half death squeeze, and asked,

"What do you say to visiting over Christmas Pete?"

Peter smiled widely and nodded enthusiastically, "That'd be brilliant!"

When James finally wrote back everyone's responses four days later he said:

_Mum,_

_Everyone said that would come. They have to check with their parents but they all think it is going to be okay. See you in a week!_

_Your amazing son,_

_James._

_PS Mom, don't ask me about those things in letters! My friends might have seen! Anyway, I wanted the ones that have the seekers that fly around on them._

* * *

><p><em>I hope that Elyse's accent wasn't too hard to read. She talks quite a bit in some parts of this chapter and because I don't have an Irish accent, I was trying my best to make it sound real. I'm genuinely sorry if you had a problem reading it.<br>_


	11. Alphard versus Walburga: Round 1

My writer's block is officially gone! I looked at the one comment I got from the author's note, and just like Dr. Suess saw the words cat and hat, I saw the words Chocolate and Books and the story just formed. Don't ask how that connects to this chapter, but those two words somehow brought all my ideas together and allowed me to write this chapter and half of the next chapter in under a few hours. This chapter is officially dedicated to my most faithful reviewer, DobbysArmy, who without her, I would probably not have arrived at this point and this story would just be one of the thousands of unfinished stories out there. So thank you. Also, a special thank you to The fluffy fluffball of DOOM for leaving a wonderful review for the last chapter.

Since I am getting tired of writing a disclaimer this shall be the last one. That is, unless I somehow procure the rights to Harry Potter and I will own all the characters in this story. But with the likely hood of that actually happening, I will say that I do not own Harry Potter. I am writing this for my own enjoyment and hopefully, you enjoy reading this. That is all that matters in my opinion.

And now! On with the story.

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><p>It was Christmas time at Hogwarts. The snow was magical unto itself. All the children and adults in the school were gathering for one final meal before classes ended for Christmas break. The hall was filled with excitement and joy as the students wished each other a good holiday while some exchanged early gifts.<p>

The Prewitt twins had charmed everything in the Great Hall Red, Green, Gold, and Silver. The teachers were impressed by their magic and since they already in such a good mood, they awarded Gryffindor 45 points for creative charm work and school togetherness. How the last one got added was beyond the red headed twins but they were convinced that Slughorn had already started drinking eggnog.

All in all, everyone was happy.

All except two small black haired twins. James, Remus, and Peter were looking at the pair oddly while Ben would occasionally peak over the edge of The Prophet to sneak a look at them.

It was Elyse to break the silence,

"Woot teh 'ell de yeh look like yeh want teh die?"

Sirius let out a dry laugh before he let his head fall to the table with a painful sounding thud. Ursula rolled her eyes at his antics before she answered in a monotone voice,

"Our parents, our entire family, Lord Voldemort loving, power hungry, scheming Slytherins. We are the first Blacks to be sorted into Gryffindor since Hogwart's founding. You remember the howler my mom sent Sirius earlier this term right?" When Elyse nodded, Ursula continued, "She doesn't know I'm in Gryffindor. Uncle Alphard said someone magically altered the letter."

"In other words," Sirius said raising his head from the table, "we are dead." His neck seemed to give out and his head was about to his the table when James flicked his wand and transfigured a plate into a pillow.

"You are not dead! You are going to be coming to my house two days after Christmas because, let's be honest, is there anything better than spending time with the oh-so-brilliant me?" James asked his friends.

They all gave each other a look before they burst out laughing. James looked put out for a second before he too joined in on the laughter.

"Attention students!" Dumbledore called from the head table, "In less than an hour, the trains will be departing from Hogwarts for King's Cross Station. Please make sure that you luggage is at the loading area twenty minutes before departure."

His eyes scanned the room, the twinkling in his eyes not so bright, "I would ask that all students express much caution while visiting your families. These are dark times and while you are protected here, the same cannot be said for your homes. If certain laws need to be disregarded for your safety or your family's safety, then so be it. That is all. Now skedaddle."

With a wave of his hand, he sat down. Needless to say, no one skedaddled.

It was night when the Hogwart's Express finally stopped at King's Cross Station. The ride had been enjoyable for the first year Gryffindors. They had gotten into a fight with Snape, only a verbal one, but that had been the only low point. The rest of the ride was spent playing exploding snaps, planning pranks, and having a chocolate frog eating contest. Remus won by a landslide.

"We'll be seeing each other soon, stop looking like we're never going to see each other again you big group of babies. At least act like you belong in Gryffindor!" James scolded them.

"You've got it made in the shade with pink lemonade, mate. Imagine having to spend Christmas with Bellatrix, Narcissa and her stupid fiancée Lucius. Then of course-"

"Alright, we get it. You're family is horrible, but on the bright side, you only have to spend a week with them before you get to go to the Potters," Ben said, trying to stop everyone from focusing on the wrong.

"Anyway, remember to bring the present for the person you picked out of the grab bag. We'll open presents when everyone gets to my house. Oh, and whoever got my name better have brought me something bloody amazing!" James exclaimed before he grabbed his trunk and dashed off to find his parents.

Annabelle came by seconds later wishing everyone a happy holiday before dragging Ben towards their parents. He shouted Merry Christmas to them as he was dragged away. Elyse and Peter both left at the same time since Peter had to show her where the portkey that took students to Ireland was. They both left with wishes of a good holiday

Finally, Remus saw his parents through the compartment window. His mother looked worried to death and was wringing her hands together. His dad laid a hand on her shoulder, but even from where he sat, Remus could see his hand shaking. Guilt coursed through his body; he was causing his parents pain.

Ursula, though she had no idea why, could see that he looked upset so she did the only thing a good friend could think of doing in that situation. She stood up and gave him a tight hug. He jumped at the physical contact, stiffening at her touch. But then slowly he relaxed and wrapped his arms around her tiny waist.

"Have a good holiday Remus." She said softly before letting him go.

His cheeks were very red and he muttered something before he quickly fled from the room. Ursula looked out the window and saw his mother with tears silently falling down her cheeks. Mrs. Lupin practically smothered Remus in a hug and quickly pulled him through the crossing, her arm wrapped around his shoulders the entire time.

When the Black twins finally got off the train, Ursula and Sirius were greeted by the presence of their little brother and parents. Regulus smiled weakly when he saw them, like he had just eaten a lemon flavor Bertie Bean.

"What's wrong, Reg?" Ursula asked walking closer towards them.

Walburga's look made her stop dead in her tracks.

"What is that on your robes?"

Ursula sighed, "I swear mother, James thought it would be funny to charm my quill to write with pink ink and it spilled all over-"

"That is not what I meant." She hissed as her nostrils flared.

Ursula's brows furrowed until she looked down. Her robes were perfectly fine except for the ink stain and the…oh. Well, it looked like she found out quicker than she was supposed to.

Resigned to her fate, Ursula gathered her Gryffindor courage and said,

"That's my house badge Mother."

Walburga raised her hand as if to slap her for her insolence but suddenly there was pressure on Ursula's and Sirius's shoulders.

"Fancy seeing you here Burga. How's our dear cousin treating you?"

Ursula and Sirius turned to look up at the slightly familiar looking man standing above them. His hair had gone grey with age, but you could tell that in his youth it was the jet black at the entire family had. Around his eyes were wrinkles that were uncreated through years of laughter and joys and jokes. He was tall, taller than the average man, but he was not as tall as the twin's towering father that stood well over 6'2''. His actual face bore great resemblance to Sirius, the same jaw and high cheek bones that gave both an aristocratic look.

"Alphard, what are you doing here?" She seethed, her hands clenching into fists so tight that he knuckles turned white.

He smirked, "I was just welcoming my favorite niece and nephew back from Hogwarts. Is there something wrong with that, dearest sister?" He taunted her, "We wouldn't want to make a scene would we?" he added in a softer, more threatening tone.

He had her trapped and she knew it.

"Of course, brother. Now if you don't mind I would like to take my _darling _children home. They have been far away far too long. Don't you agree Orion?" The sarcasm practically dripped from her tongue as she stared scathingly at her older brother

Orion just nodded in his calm debonair style, not even affected by her anger. Alphard just laughed,

"Does that man ever talk? I swear the last words I heard him say were 'I do'. Too bad I wasn't invited to the reception." Alphard laughed dryly.

Sirius looked at Ursula with wide eyes. They had never heard anyone talk to their mother like this and be so nonchalant about it. Uncle Alphard was quickly becoming their favorite family member. Scratch that – favorite adult of all time in the history of forever.

"You weren't invited to the ceremony. Now let go of my children." Walburga commanded in a strident tone.

Alphard shrugged, "You already have to take along young Regulus and I'm sure that my dear cousin can find his own way home. Why don't I apparate the kids back home and we can spend our time catching up and maybe go Christmas shopping. I don't fancy another elf's head this year, so maybe I can give you some ideas."

The steam was practically pouring out of her ears.

"Fine." She spat before she turned on the spot.

Orion calmly placed his hand on Regulus's shoulders before they too disappeared from the platform. Regulus looked at his siblings in such a sad way that Ursula had to wonder what had happened to him in their absence.

She couldn't dwell on that long because Alphard spun the twins around to face him, "Now let's see you…" He trailed off and looked down at the pair of eleven-almost-twelve-year olds.

Alphard smiled and pulled them into a double hug; squishing them against his soft stomach. He pulled back and looked at them with twinkling blue eyes, not quite unlike Dumbledore's.

"I hear that you two along with your friends are quite the mischief makers." He said, raising one of his eyebrows.

Both eyebrows on both twins shot up,

"How in Merlin's name," Ursula began

"Do you know about that?" Sirius ended.

The older Black laughed, "Do you think that I wouldn't check up with you at all during the year. I have connections inside and outside that castle that you wouldn't believe."

"Who would those contacts be?" Sirius asked, with a roguish smile on his face.

"Like I would tell you."

He didn't give them any warning before he apparated them to the middle of the front room. Caught off guard, both siblings but in opposite ways. Ursula went backwards and hit her head on the solid oak door. Sirius went forward and rammed his stomach into the corner of the table under the mirror. He fell onto his back while grabbing his stomach in pain. Ursula was in no better condition as she glared at her uncle.

He just shrugged it off, "You're Blacks in Gryffindor, you're tough."

After his comforting words, the twins picked themselves off the floor and Alphard floated their trunks up the stairs to the fourth floor.

He left their stuff outside their rooms muttering something about getting Orion to talk.

The twins stood standing in front of the rooms that had been their prisons before they left for Hogwarts. Their names were etched in gold on the door in age order starting on the right. _Ursula Walburga _stood out proudly against the dark hard wood. Next to her on the left, _Sirius Orion _was just as bright, maybe just a tad bit duller. On the end, the door that seemed to open into the corner read the name _Regulus Arcturus_. Memories of a younger Reg sneaking into her room when he was scared flashed through her mind and she had to wonder, would they ever be that close again?


	12. Christmas with the Malfoys

This the first half the Christmas holiday. This actually wasn't the way the story was supposed to go but I just got so into the writing that my hands seemed to have a mind of their own as they wrote this. The next part might be up by the end of this weekend, but more than likely it will be uploaded around next Wednesday. After this, there isn't going to much more of their first year and we can move into second year. Finally! I have a nice plot for second year and I can't wait to share it. We are getting over the first hump of the story and things will be updated more frequently from here on out until things get a little more complex and more detail is needed. Then things will slow down a little bit. But I promise, it will be worth it!

Oh, and just a warning, there is some vulgar language used. I personally don't use this language but the character does and I tried to limit it. I felt that I had to make it real for the character and for the situation. If you don't like that just skip the part and I will give a short summary at the end for you so you understand what happens. There will be ** where the swearing starts and stops. There might be a random swear here or there through the rest of the chapter, but I will give warning when character use excessive language. But I do promise that it will stay rated T; it will never go higher. There will be a little more swearing as they get older but since they are only eleven/twelve at this point, they don't have bad mouths yet. Please don't be offended, but I did make it T for a reason.

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><p>The next morning, three Blacks were making their way down Diagon Alley. Alphard let the twins run in front of him as they took in the sight of the magical street during a magical time of the year. He had given them money to spend once they had told him all about their friends and their gift exchange. For some reason when he heard Sirius's intended gift recipient, he smiled at him with a knowing smile.<p>

They had no idea what he knew.

But, still, the twins found that their uncle was much more open than the rest of their family. He would tell them stories of his travels after he graduated Hogwarts.

"I had just flown to Manchuria when—"

"Sirius, look!" Ursula interrupted her uncle when she saw something out of the corner of her eyes. She grabbed his arm and pulled him towards the giant glass window. She pointed to the object and then looked at Sirius, smiling widely, "It's perfect for him, don't you think?"

His response was a loud laugh that carried over all the noise made by the crowd. A second laugh joined in as Ursula started laughing along with her brother. This Christmas was going to be perfect.

Christmas was a disaster. Ursula was picking at the food on her plate while Sirius had practically sunk to the floor pouting. They had been at the Malfoy Manor for only an hour and both of them were already counting down the minutes before they left for the Potters. The party was full of pure blooded, Slytherin witches and wizards that would only talk about how great Lord Voldemort was and how they couldn't wait for their children to get the dark mark on their seventeenth birthday.

Ursula had just started zoning out when someone addressed her,

"What's wrong, Ursula?" Lucius asked with fake concern, "You don't look happy."

He sat there with a smug look on his face while his girlfriend, Narcissa, sat dutifully by his side. It was pathetic how blindly she followed him.

She gave him a "are-you-kidding-me look" before looking back down at her plate.

"It is rude to not answer a question, Ursula." Her mother reminded her tersely from a little ways down the table.

The polite and forced conversations stopped and all turned to hear her answer. She groaned, closing her eyes and forcing herself to calm down. As long as she behaved then she would get to leave for James's in 18 hours.

"I wish I was someplace else." She answered honestly, yet vaguely enough that her mother (hopefully) wouldn't get angry with her.

"Where would that be Ursey?" Bellatrix crackled from her sister's right.

"I personally," Sirius drawled, effectively diverting the focus away from his sister, "Wish that we were back at Hogwarts." Ursula shot a grateful look at her brother and the corner of his mouth twitched up in acknowledgement.

"Why would you want to go back to that dump? Especially with that mudblood lover Dumbledore in charge. He is running that school to the ground." Abraxas Malfoy asked from near their mother.

Sirius shrugged and sat up a little straighter. Ursula knew that he was going to do something stupid so she crossed her fingers under the table that it wouldn't be that bad. But knowing him…

"Gryffindor Tower is actually quite nice."

…It would be that bad. Eh, what would any reasonable person with any ounce of self-preservation do after that remark?

"Yup, the muggle-borns make sure that they never make a mess or leave something messy; I don't know why you say they are dirty." Ursula added, following his lead.

Regulus's jaw practically dropped to the ground. Did his brother and sister just say that? Were they stupid? For the first time in a long time, Regulus was starting to think that maybe his parents were right about Gryffindors being impulsive, idiotic, and possessed no self-preservation at all.

Abraxas looked gob smacked. Walburga looked like she love to Crucio them at that very moment if there weren't any witnesses. The current Slytherins at the table glared at them. Alphard looked like he was about to turn blue from trying to hold in his laugh.

The first adult to gain back their composure was Abraxas. He cleared and regarded the twins coldly, "Ah yes, Walburga mentioned that Sirius was in Gryffindor," he practically spat the name, "but she never mentioned Ursula making it into the same house."

"She was misinformed." Ursula said shortly.

He clicked his softly in a disapproving manner as he shook his head, "Such a pity, you had so much potential."

"She has. Wrong tense of the verb, Abs." Alphard spoke up with a dangerous glint in his eyes, it was something that the twins had never seen before. It made him look like their mother.

Abraxas shook his head, "That is where you are mistaken Al. They are bigger failures than you are. At least you were sorted into Slytherin."

He had just unknowing ignited the normally calm and benign Alphard. It was like night and day.

*******Alphard shot to his feet and screamed, "DON'T YOU DARE CALL THEM FAILURES YOU BASTARD!" His face turned red and there was an inferno burning in his eyes.

The ice blonde man seemed unaffected, well, as unaffected as one can be one the receiving end of the infamous Black temper, "I am merely stating a fact my friend."

"Those two kids are better than every single person in this room because they decided to think for themselves! Think of all the things you could have done if you formed your own ideas instead of following the bloody fool, Voldemort! Pull your head out of your ass you prick!"

"Alphard, we are guests at-" Walburga said tensely.

His anger was redirected towards her. He spun on his heel and pointed his finger at her, "I KNOW WE ARE BLOODY GUESTS! MAYBE YOU WOULD LIKE TO KNOW THAT THAT GIT JUST INSULTED TWO OF YOUR CHILDREN! BE A DAMN MOTHER FOR ONCE IN YOUR LIFE!"

"Don't you dare accuse me of being a bad mother. It was you that drove my children-" She started to shout back before she was interrupted.

"DON'T EVEN GO THERE! I HAVE NEVER SPOKEN TO THEM BEFORE THEY GOT SORTED! IT'S YOUR CRAPPY PARENTING THAT PUSHED THEM AWAY. TAKE SOME BLOODY RESPONISBILITY FOR BEING SUCH A HORRIBLE MOTHER THAT IN OUR FRICKING MESSED UP WORLD THEY TURNED OUT RIGHT!"*******

"THEY ARE NOT RIGHT!" She screeched, "THEY ARE FAILURES."

Alphard lowered his arms and just stared at his sister with disbelief. In a soft voice he practically whispered "You are the failure."

He pushed his chair back and stormed out the room. Walburga pushed the hair that fallen into her face back and she tried to recompose herself. She turned to Abraxas,

"I apologize for my brother. I don't know what came over him."

Abraxas nodded knowingly, "We all have our own "Alphards" in our lives. It is understandable."

Once she was sure that no one at the Pureblood Christmas dinner she went back to her kids, who were still in shock.

"We are staying. Go _behave_." The last word came out as a definite threat.

"DAMMIT, WHERE IS THE BLOODY DOOR!"

The twins took one look at each other before they stood up and ran around Malfoy Manor trying to find their uncle. They found his sitting against the wall, looking at his hands. He looked remorseful and deep in thought.

"That was bloody brilliant!" Sirius exclaimed with a wide smile.

Alphard shook his head, "Watch your language."

"Hypocrite," Sirius mumbled under his breath.

The older man sighed and struggled to his feet with a groan, "Healers can try to fix you, but your body takes your loan back, plus killer interest." He mumbled under his breath.

Once he was steady on his own two feet he put and hand on the twin's shoulders, "What you just saw was not 'bloody brilliant' as you so eloquently put it Sirius. That is a side of me that I never wanted you two to see. I can usually control my temper, but when it's ignited, well…you saw the result of that."

Ursula shrugged, "You didn't have to get upset. It's not like we've never heard it before."

A concerned look flashed across his silver eyes. He knelt down so he was eye to eye with them,

"Never, ever, let anyone tell you are failures. Besides, if we never fail, how would we learn? There is a story of a muggle that invented light bulbs. It's what muggles use to light their homes. He failed a lot and when he finally figured it out, do you want to know what he said. He said, 'I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.' Just remember that, okay. I don't think your mother is going to let me see you for a while but I will try to write. And don't forget, if you ever need anything, don't hesitate to owl me." He gave their shoulders a tight squeeze before he stood up.

"Dobby?" He shouted, though not as loudly as before.

A young house elf appeared out of nowhere.

"Dobby has come to help guest. What can Dobby do for Mister Black?"

Alphard smiled kindly at the house elf, "Would you be able to find my cloak please. I don't know where it is."

Dobby smiled widely, "Yes sir, Dobby will find your cloak."

He disappeared and reappeared in less than ten seconds with the dark green cloak in hand. He handed Alphard the cloak. As Alphard donned his protection from the biting cold, he asked,

"So Dobby, I heard that you are new to the Malfoys. How do you like it here so far?"

Dobby's eyes widened, "No one has ever asked Dobby how Dobby is doing. Dobby is moved by such kindness."

"Do the Malfoys treat him right?" Sirius asked Alphard, appalled when he saw light bruises on Dobby's arms and legs.

The house elf jumped when he realized that the twins were in the room. He looked so frightened that it pulled on Ursula's heart strings.

"Dobby doesn't know the names of kind guests! Dobby is a bad house else! Stupid! Stupid!" He started punching his head.

Ursula ran forward and gently grabbed his arm to stop him from hurting himself, "Stop! It's alright, honest. We are new here and we have never met you before so it's okay. My name is Ursula Black and that is my twin brother Sirius. Please, just don't hurt yourself anymore." She practically begged him.

Dobby's eyes filled with water, "Mistress is too kind! She shows Dobby so much kindess!" He grabbed onto her and pulled her into a tight hug. He was short enough that he had his head digging into her stomach. It was slightly uncomfortable but Ursula just gently rubbed his shoulders.

"It's alright Dobby."

Dobby moved his head back and was about to say something when there was a shout from an adjacent hallway,

"URSULA! SIRIUS!"

"Run," Alphard whispered to the group. He and Dobby disappeared in a blink of an eye. Dobby disappeared to another part of the house while another appeared someone else in the world. The twins had no other option except to run and hope not to get caught.

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><p>For those that skipped the swearing: Alphard and Walburga have a go at it over her parenting. Alphard basically tells her that she is a horrible mother. She responds by saying that he is the one that corrupted her kids. He in turn tells her that since she raised them so badly, that in their switched around world, that made the twins turn out good. That's the basic gist of it.<p> 


	13. Christmas with the Potters

I am so sorry about the lack of updates! This chapter has actually been written for a couple of days, it is just that for some reason there was a glitch and the site wouldn't let me get into my doc manager to transfer from microsoft word. Thankfully, the problem seems to be fixed so I will keep this very short considering how long I kept you waiting.

Sometime before next Monday I am going to be posting a one-shot, somewhat similar to She's My Hero. I might not have another chapter of this up to tell you about it so just keep a look out.

Lastly, please enjoy this new chapter and leave a review. Somewhere in this chapter is the thirty thousandth word ofthis story and there have only been eleven reviews. It would be much appreciated if you could leave a review so I know that you like the story. That is all. So without further adieu, this the the 13th installment to A Black and White Story:

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><p>The hour had finally arrived. The bags had been packed. Arrangements had been double checked. The only thing keeping the Black twins in Grimmauld Place was the time James had sent them. To avoid five families trying to come out of one fire place at once, the Potters had given each family fifteen minute windows to floo to Potter Manor.<p>

The first to go would be Elyse. Mr. Potter used his old connections in the ministry to get her fireplace hooked up to the Floo System so he would get them first. Then the Lupins, followed by all the Whites, then Peter and his mother would arrive.

Ursula and Sirius were last, much to their chagrin.

They couldn't really complain though. It was a miracle that their mother was even letting them go. The only reason they were allowed to go after their display at Christmas was because they had already agreed to go. Plus, in Walburga's eyes, the Potters and Whites meant power. Even if they were blood traitors, they held a lot of influence in the wizarding world.

So they sat on top of their trunks and waited. They had another fifteen minutes to wait before it would be their turn. They had been waiting for over an hour. The clock seemed to slow down as their anticipation sped up.

Finally the clock in the hallway chimed. Sirius jumped up from his seat and quickly disappeared from the fireplace. Ursula looked around the empty parlor room and waited a moment, waiting for her mother or father or younger brother to say goodbye. No one came.

She sighed and grabbed some floo powder.

"Number 18, Godric's Lane!" She shouted.

When the world stopped spinning, she was transported into a different world. There was holly lining the trimmings on the walls; the leafy green contrasting with the cream walls. Golden tinsel twisted around the stair banister up to the second floor. A wreath hung over the door to her left. The smell of honey roasted ham and freshly made biscuits filled the air with their decadent scent.

Her eyes were wide as she stepped out of the fire. The second she was out, the fire roared back to life and warmed the whole room. Her feet felt like they were floating on the plush, vibrant red carpet that covered the entire living room. Sirius was currently being hugged by Gryffindor's favorite Irish muggleborn. Remus, Peter, and Ben were standing off to the side, talking to each other and suddenly Peter and Ben burst out laughing at something the other said. James was standing right next to her.

"Sirius looked the same way when he got here." He said with a grin on his face. It wasn't his usual grin, the one that his victims often saw behind the wand. Not the one his friends saw all the time when he was being snarky or cocky, or both. Now it looked warm and inviting. Like the world would be a better place as long as you were near his infectious smile. It wasn't arrogant or conceited; it was one of complete and genuine happiness.

"Sweet Merlin, James. You're house it's…it's…" She couldn't find words.

He laughed and pulled her into a hug, "I know it's a bit different from Grimmauld Place but do you think you can deal with it for a week?"

She snorted in a very un-lady like manner, "Think? More like know."

James laughed and patted her a little roughly on the back. Ursula was about to go over to say hello to Ben and Remus when she was attacked by her little red headed friend.

"URUSLA! God, init 'tis ;oose amazin'? I's been 'ere fer two 'ours 'n it still 'asn't worn oof."

She laughed at her friend's enthusiasm. She heard raucous laughter from behind her and she turned to see James turning red from trying not to laugh. Standing next to him was Sirius who was literally doubled over and had tears streaming from his eyes. Ben and Remus were in no better condition.

"Woot's so funny?" Elyse asked, putting a hand on her hip.

Sirius wiped the tears from his cheeks, "Nothing you need to concern you little Irish head with."

Ursula raised an eyebrow, "What about my British one?"

He just dismissed her with a wave of the hand. It was Ben that answered, "You don't want to know Ursula. You really don't want to know."

She was about to interrogate Remus who seemed to know what was coming as he shuffled behind Peter a little bit.

Remus was saved by Mrs. Potter who walked in from an adjoining room.

"What is all this noise, I swear…" She left the threat empty.

If Ursula was asked how to describe Mrs. Potter she would have said to take a picture of her mother and make everything opposite of what it was. Mrs. Potter's light grey hair was pulled into a loose bun with a few curls escaping and framing her face. She wasn't skinny, a little plump one might call her, but she wore regular muggle clothes around the house; not a wizard robe in sight. Her eyes were framed with wire rimmed rectangular glasses, but even then, the corners of the lenses weren't even sharp. Her face screamed of love, laughter, and kindness.

When she saw Ursula standing right before her, her hazel eyes lit up in a way that Walburga's never would upon seeing her only daughter, "Oh, you must be Ursula. Welcome to our home, I hope you mum didn't give you too hard a time."

She did something that Ursula could never remember her own mother doing.

Mrs. Potter walked towards the young girl that was a complete stranger to her, but a friend to her only son, and gave her a hug.

Ursula felt warmth and love envelope her in the hug. At first too shocked to respond, Ursula quickly wrapped her arms around Mrs. Potter's waist and held tight. She just _felt_ like a mother. It's like the people you know that are just made to be a mother; everything about them says mom.

The hug was over much too soon in Ursula's opinion. But without missing a beat, Mrs. Potter walked over to Sirius and pulled him into a similar hug. When he was released, the twins looked at each other in shock. Had they been missing out this much? Is the way they grew up not the norm for other wizard kids?

"Now that everyone's here, why don't you all get settled in your rooms? I'll have Harold bring your stuff upstairs." She smiled at them kindly before turning around the get her husband.

"James," Ursula began, still trying to understand what happened.

"You're mother is bloody amazing. How did you turn out so bad?" Sirius asked with a smirk.

His response was a smack to the head. Of course, his parents walked in just after he hit Sirius.

"Mrs. Potter, your son is abusing me!" Sirius whined, making puppy dog eyes.

She gave James a stern look, "James, no hitting guests."

Mr. Potter smirked, eerily similar to James, and said, "Just make sure you don't get caught."

The first thing that Ursula noticed about James's dad was his resemblance to his son. They could have been carbon copies of each other if they had the same color eyes; Mr. Potter's were dark blue. His face was wrinkly, but not with worry lines. Instead, it appeared that the lines had been formed of years of laughter and joy. He was up in his years, even from a wizard standpoint. But youthfulness and happiness seemed to radiate from him.

He turned towards the Black twins and raised his eyebrows, "Now what do we have here? Blacks friends with a Potter? Oh, Dumbledore must be having a right good laugh about this."

"What are you talking about Dad? Was your mortal enemy in Slytherin?" James asked with anticipation, baiting at any excuse he could have for hating the Slytherins.

Mr. Potter laughed heartily and clapped his son on the shoulder, "Something like that James."

"Enough dilly-dally," Mrs. Potter interjected with a benevolent smile on her face, "I'm sure you want to catch up with each other. I will come get you when lunch is ready sweethearts." She hurried back to the kitchen to talk with the other parents and other siblings, minus Annabelle who opted to spend the rest of her vacation with her boyfriend's family.

Mr. Potter quickly made all their trunks weightless so they could carry them up the stairs to the second floor. Once he was done, he too went back to the kitchen area.

"So where are we rooming, mate?" Sirius asked as they all moved travelled up the stairs. He and Peter were carrying opposite ends of his trunk while Remus and Ursula were carrying hers.

"You're in my room. Mum put a second bed in there. Since three beds didn't fit, Peter, Remus, and Ben have their own room right next to us. Elyse and Ursula are in the room right across from mine." He pointed to the doors as he explained them.

Elyse opened the door and Ursula stopped in shock. She dropped her end of the trunk, causing Remus to be caught off balance and topple forward.

The room was like a dream. Back at Grimmauld her walls were covered in a grayish color and green trim. Her sheets were Slytherin colors as were her drapes. The heavy, dark green velvet always darkened the room on even the brightest of summer days.

But this room was light and airy and free. The windows' curtains were pulled back, allowing natural light to flood the room. There was a bright reflection of light off the warm hardwood floors. The furniture matched the floors but it was not overly dark. Elyse's bed was a sky blue had had a fun quality to it.

Ursula walked over the empty plush, red bed. When it fully sunk in that this is where she would be living, she smiled widely and took a running leap onto her bed.

This place honestly couldn't get any better.

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><p>It got better.<p>

After spending dinner talking and laughing with everyone's parents, the kids ran upstairs to exchange Christmas gifts. They sat in a circle in James's and Sirius's room, the gift they brought wrapped in front of them.

"Who wants to go first?" James asked everyone.

No one answered right away so Elyse hopped to her feet and bound over to Peter. She handed him the decently sized package and went back to her seat, "I hope you like it Pete."

He quickly tore away the paper and looked confused when he pulled out a bunch of twisted plastic. All the purebloods looked confused but Remus smiled when he realized what it was.

"What is it?" Peter asked, inspecting it.

"It's a muggle water gun. You fill it with water and when you pull the trigger, you soak someone with water. When other people have them, you can have water gun fights. It's what muggle kids play with during the summer," Remus explained.

Looks of comprehension dawned in their little circle.

"So it is basically aguamenti?" Sirius clarified.

"Basically." Remus nodded.

"That's so wicked. Muggles are so creative." James mused as he moved closer to look at the new toy.

Ben laughed, "Just don't turn into Arthur Weasley on us mate. The world can barely handle one of him."

Everyone laughed; they had heard the Prewitt twin's impression of their brother-in-law when he saw some muggle items. It was hilarious to the entire house; to those that knew him and those that didn't alike.

"How about Pete gives his gift next and we'll just do that from now on." Sirius suggested.

Peter shrugged and passed over a fairly large box over to Sirius, "Thought we all could use this."

Sirius looked confused before he destroyed the carefully wrapped package. When he saw what was inside, his face lit up. He began to dig into his new present.

It was a box literally full to the brim of Zonko's products. Everything from Dungbombs to fireworks to trip wire. It was every prankster's dream and Sirius happened to be a very devout prankster.

"Pete, I think you are officially my best mate." Sirius said in awe as he organized his new loot.

James, annoyed at being annoyed for so long, and seeing that Sirius got him a gift, he began to try to hurry things along, "Hurry up! I want to get my present."

Sirius rolled his eyes and passed over his slim box.

James looked disappointed at the size until he opened it. Then when he comprehended what was in his possession, it looked like tears were close to spilling over his eyes. He held a signed jersey from the best Seeker, Josef Wronski. He held the shirt up to the light like he was hold his first born son.

"I have never received a better gift. We're the hell did you get this?" James asked is shock.

Sirius shrugged, "Uncle Alphard knew some people and two days ago that showed up at a store in Diagon Alley for us to pick up. You're turn to give a gift." Sirius said, wanting to get moving a little with the gift giving.

"Fine. Here you go Ursula."

James handed her a large but light package. It was obviously wrapped by his mother. Ursula took the bow off the top and stuck it onto James's hair before she opened the box.

"What in Merlin's name…" She trailed off as she looked in the box.

Red. That was the only thing she could see in the box. She reached in and pulled out a Gryffindor pennant from 1956.

"What?" She asked as she sorted through more old Gryffindor memorabilia.

James smiled lopsidedly, "It's a bunch of old Gryffindor stuff. Some of it I got from McGonagall and some I got from my dad. There's some old pennants, posters, and there are some of the old team Quidditch jerseys in there."

"Wicked." Ursula breathed as she started to organize her new gift.

The black haired boy smirked and leaned back against his bed and put his hands behind his head, "I thought that since you grew up in Slytherin House, you need to be able to show your Gryffindor pride like a true Gryffindor. Think you're parents are going to be happy?"

"My mom will breathe fire." Ursula said with a laugh.

"Hey do you think you can let your brother in on some of that, Sissy?" Sirius asked, craning his neck to see what was she got.

She shook her head and put the box behind her, protecting it from his greedy eyes. When she turned around, she had a small package. She handed it to Elyse, 'Pass this to Remus would you?"

Elyse handed the gift off to Remus who carefully opened the present, careful not to destroy the wrapping paper.

When he got the top piece of paper off, his eyes practically fell out of his head, "I don't believe it. Is it really…? Could it be?"

Ursula laughed a bark like laugh at his face, "Yup, it is."

"Woot is it?" Elyse asked.

"It's a book made of chocolate." Remus said in awe, now to being careful as he tore away the rest of the paper away from his precious chocolate.

"No way," Peter said, not believing it.

"Yes way," Ursula countered, "The man at the store explained it. When Remus eats the book, he will remember what was written. It's only from fiction books though; no school books because Hogwarts considers that cheating. The book we got him is a combination of muggle and wizard fairy tales. It will never go bad or be inedible. He could leave it under his bed for weeks and eat any part of the book and he won't have to worry about getting sick."

"That's amazing? Where in the world did you find that?" Peter asked.

Ursula was about to answer when Ben jumped in, "I don't think she should answer or else the headline of the Prophet might be 'Hogwarts Student breaks into Candy Store' and Remus will have a mug shot where his face it covered in chocolate! " Ben laughed loudly at the mental picture. The rest of the room followed him and soon they were all in hysterics.

Finally, Remus got himself under control and he handed Ben a small, flattish present, "Here you go." He said with a few chuckles

Ben took a couple of breath to calm himself before he went to open it. When he did open the present and he looked confused at the quill and music sheets, "What is this for?" he asked, looking back up at Remus.

Remus turned a little red, "I know you don't like people making a fuss over your music, but I thought you would like these. Once you place the tip of the quill on one of those staffs, whatever you sing or play, the quill will write down. It will even do articulation if you are clear enough."

"That's amazing." Ben said, examining the quill with a cream colored feather. He seemed to span out of his daze after a moment and he handed Elyse a small rectangular present, "Let's finish this up. Happy late Christmas, Elyse."

She ripped open the paper, throwing some in Peter's and Ursula's faces. The swatted the paper and Elyse smiled when she saw what was in her hands.

"A camera! Iz 'tis a wizardin' un 'hat makes people move?"

Ben nodded, "You just need to add some things to the pictures after they are developed, but this speeds up the process and will give the most accurate movements of a person and or people. Plus, you can make the pictures color, sepia, or black and white."

"Oh! First shoot! Everyboody get tehgether! Yeh's going teh take a picture." She ordered them.

The all grudgingly got to their feet. Being the shortest out of the guys, Ursula was standing in the middle front with a smile on her face. She didn't see the devious smiles of the boys behind her. She certainly didn't expect to be grabbed and held horizontally to the floor. She flung her arms up, hitting her brother in the face who let go of her and stumbled back. James lost his balance, causing the others to follow and they ended up in a heap on the floor. They looked at each other dazed and confused, wondering how it happened so fast.

It was fast enough that with one click of the button, her camera caught the entire thing.

Sitting on the hardwood floor with her bum sore from hitting the ground and her heart trying to beat its way out of her chest after being scared like that, she decided one thing as she joined in the laughter of her friends.

It was the absolute best Christmas she had ever had in her entire life.


	14. A Black Birthday

Hello my readers. This is officially the last chapter before they get back to Hogwarts so I apologize if it feels a bit rushed; my anticipation to get them back is making me go a bit fast. But never fear, for there is a possibility that I will come back to this and either rewrite it and repost it or I might just add another one shot about it.

Speaking of one shots, I added another one. It really isn't from another person's point of view, it is literally just a chapter that didn't flow but is important to future events in the story. It is called Unstoppable. I would love it if you would check it out and leave a review. If you haven't read the other story titled She's My Hero, it is highly suggested you do so.

I have decided as an attempt to bring more people into the story that I will change the character listed as the one most mentioned in the new chapter. Hopefully, this will not cause problems for people who have already put this story on alert, but it might cause some problems for people that use the search options. The title will never change so I suggest just remembering that. I just wanted to warn everyone.

Please, please, please leave a review. I know I have said that I will keep on posting even without reviews but a review makes a writer happy. A happy writer writes quicker. A quicker writer will finish sooner and post a new chapter. Reading a new chapter makes the reader happy. So if you want to be happy, kindly leave a review.

And now I present to you the fourteenth chapter of A Black and White Story.

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><p>The sun had just risen on December 31st, sending natural light through the floor to ceiling window at the end of the hallway. It has snowed the night before so now there was a frame of perfectly undisturbed snow on the small ledges of the window. The entire house was silent, something that was a rare occurrence in the Potter house. The rowdy children had been silenced by dreams of purple centaurs and giant snitches becoming pets.<p>

Mrs. Potter walked up the stairs; the sound of her walking across was muted by the plush carpet. She rapped her knuckles on the girls' door gently, "Ursula, Elyse, get up, it's time for breakfast."

Her prodding was met with silence. Smiling to herself, she opened the door. Ursula was barely on the bed, half her limbs sprawled this way and that, partially hanging off the bed. Mrs. Potter smiled when she saw the small girl. She had kicked off her blankets in her sleep and she was shaking slightly.

Silently walking through the room, she grabbed the red blanket and placed it back over the shivering girl. Ursula subconsciously grabbed the blanket and snuggled into the soft fabric. She mumbled something before she rolled over, her face turned slightly up so she could still breathe.

"Sweetheart, breakfast is ready." Mrs. Potter said softly, gently shaking Ursula's shoulder.

"Sleep good. Awake bad." Ursula muttered before hiding underneath the blanket.

Mrs. Potter chuckled and looked over at Elyse, she was practically hidden underneath the blue blanket. The only sign that the girl was even there was the tiny bit of red that stuck out from the top of the blanket.

With one last look at the girls, the woman shook her head and walked back out of the room. Everyone deserved a little sleep on their birthday.

When she got back down to the kitchen she found Harold sitting at the table reading the Prophet and sipping on a cup of coffee. He had discovered the drink on their trip to New York in 1947 and he had been addicted ever since.

"The kiddies up yet, Eva?" He asked.

She shook her head and busied herself by placing charms on the food to make sure that it stayed fresh and hot.

"They are still sleeping. They were exhausted after last night," She said.

Harold snorted, "What were they doing, playing exploding snap? Quite exhausting if you ask me."

Evangeline gave her husband a look but her face turned to worry when she saw the cover of the newspaper. The skull was floating above a house and there was a photo of a family moving a little bit lower on the page. Her heart sank,

"Who is it?"

Harold sighed and folded up the paper, "Andrea Shifton. She was on her way to visit her sister when she was ambushed; never stood a chance. She has two kids at Hogwarts; a Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff." He said in a grave voice.

His wife put a hand to her chest and gasped, "Not Caden's wife! Their anniversary is in-"

"Three days, I know." Harold's dark blue eyes were missing the twinkle that they had the previous night. Caden Shifton was one of the last Aurors he helped mentor before fully retiring from the force. He had been to the wedding and they still sent letters to each other fairly consistent rate.

"She's not even a muggleborn!" Eva said in shock.

"Voldemort doesn't give a bloody damn! He's sending a message and we got it loud and clear. None of us have the reaction he thought we would have. He thought we would go running back with our tail between our legs! As if? I've heard rumors that-"

"Shh," Eva shushed her husband. She put her hand up and seconds later, the sounds of multiple footsteps started walking around upstairs.

Mrs. Potter took a breath to calm her nerves and to pull herself together, "I will go get the presents that arrived last night. It seems that our resident Blacks are quite popular."

When Sirius, Ursula, James, and Elyse stumbled down the stairs that morning, James stopped them at the bottom of the stairs. He held his hand up to them and he walk in front of them.

"What is it?" Sirius asked.

He looked back at them, his brows furrowed, "My parents aren't in the kitchen. They are always in the kitchen."

They slowly made their way through the kitchen. There was a steaming cup of coffee sitting on the counter while Mrs. Potter's apron was draped over a chair.

"They were here." James whispered like a detective. He moved across the kitchen stealthily. Ursula rolled her eyes when her brother and Elyse followed his actions. Deciding if she can't beat them, join them, she joined in on the game.

"Harold, hand me another one," They heard James's mom say in a hushed voice.

James looked back at them confused. They slowly looked around the edge of the door, James's head on top since he was the tallest, followed by Sirius's, then Ursula's, and finally Elyse's. A bright flash blinded them as two people shouted,

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"

James dramatically feel backwards and covered his eyes with his hands over his glasses while Elyse did the same. Sirius and Ursula just stood and blinked rapidly, trying to see something besides bright white lights that covered their vision.

"What on Earth…?" Ursula trailed off when she saw the state of the living room. It had changed since the first time she saw it the day after Christmas. The holly that lined the top of the ceiling was replaced by bright colored streamers. A giant cake on a table stood where the Christmas tree had resided and there were presents stacked around the cake. Along the banister, there were balloons tied to the rail in even intervals.

"Happy birthday dears!" Mrs. Potter pulled the twins close to her and held them to her in a motherly fashion. She kissed the tops of both their heads before she let them go.

"I hope you don't feel uncomfortable, but seeing as you aren't home for your birthday this year, we thought we would celebrate anyway!"

Ursula and Sirius were still is shock. Their family had never done anything like this before. The elder woman noticed their expression and her face began to fall,

"I'm sorry if this a little bit too much it's just that-"

"It's perfect." Ursula said in a breathy voice.

Mr. Potter's eyebrows furrowed, "What do you mean?" He asked, pushing his glasses up as he placed the camera on a small side table.

"No one ever did this for us before." Ursula started to explain.

"We're in shock." Sirius finished.

At that moment, Mrs. Potter looked like a gaping fish. Her mouth opened and closed and her eyes were wide as she took in the embarrassed twins. Tears of sadness for the twins that apparently never had a true family formed in her eyes. She gathered them into a hug and pulled them flush against her body.

"You are never not going to celebrate your birthdays again, I swear on my mother's grave." She said.

She let go of them and wiped her eyes. She cleared her throat and turned to look at her husband, "Go wake the other two. I'll get them started on breakfast and then we will get started with the birthday festivities."

That was the best birthday either twin had ever had.

Mrs. Potter had served them gourmet food the entire day. It was made from scratch, by her. Not by a house elf that hated their guts.

Mr. Potter put some enchantments on the backyard so they could fly around in the afternoon. He let the twins borrow a Nimbus 1990, a brand new broom he had gotten as a gift from an old friend. The twins took turns practicing on the broom for more than five hours.

When they went back inside once it got dark, they got to open presents. It was the largest amount of presents either had received on their birthday. Normally, they got the regular stuff; new robes, a book or two. This year, from James he gave them five free passes to use his invisibility cloak, each. There was a stipulation though; they had to be causing mischief. The twins scoffed at that, as if they needed to try. Peter gave them a dozen chocolate frogs each, for that was their favorite candy. Ben got Sirius a book titled _A Thousand and Two Believable Excuses_. From him, Ursula got a small locket that when it opened, had a picture from the night they exchanged gifts.

Remus got both of them notebooks that would allow them to talk to each other when they were separated in class. Remus said he was working on charming more notebooks but they took a lot of time to make and he thought that they would like theirs now. Ursula and Sirius smiled happily thinking of all the pranks they could plan in class now without getting caught.

Elyse's gift had to be their favorite, though. Her mother had picked these up before they went to Godric's Hallow and they had been sitting in her trunk that whole time. She got the twins a bunch of muggle clothes. Ursula and Sirius loved them immediately and actually ran upstairs to change into their new outfits. Their mother had never let them wear real muggle clothes before. They usually were in robes of some sort and the clothes they wore underneath were usually dress black clothes made by wizards; not muggles.

Mr. and Mrs. Potter had given them each a framed picture. The picture was the one that had been taken right after they got off the boats their first time at Hogwarts. Mr. Potter had some friends there so he was able to get the original from them and copy it. In addition, Mrs. Potter had given Ursula a long strand of cream colored pearls. They had been Mrs. Potter's when she was a young girl and seeing that she didn't have any daughters and since she doubted James would ever want them, she gave them to the girl that never had a real mother.

The only down side to the night was when Remus's mom came to pick him up. Apparently, her mother had come down with a horrible disease and she might not make it through the night. No one wanted Remus to go since he already looked under the weather and exposing him to such a deadly disease seemed stupid. But Remus assured them that he would be alright and that he would right them in a couple of days.

"Just be careful mate, we don't want you dead." James said, giving a threatening look that clearly said, "Die- and I kill you."

Remus gulped before nodding and leaving with his mother. The clocks in Ben's head were turning, the grandmother that had been sick last time was his father's mom. Now it was his mother grandmother? And thinking about it, his uncle/godfather had fallen ill two months ago.

While the other's said goodbye to Remus, Ben had to wonder,

"_What is wrong with his family?_"

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><p>Don't forget to review or check out any of my other stories. You're opinions matter and I would love to hear them.<p> 


	15. A New Tradition

I am going to keep this one short and sweet. Review. Review. Read my new story I posted, Unstoppable. Review that story. Maybe venture over to She's My Hero if you haven't read that one. Review that. If you haven't picked up on the hints, I would really appreciate some reviews here people. The last chapter didn't get anything and the ones before that only got one or two; mainly from the same people. Please review. That is all I ask.

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><p>The student body had just arrived back at Hogwarts. All the older students seemed a little tenser, especially the Ravenclaws. Ursula and Elyse had no idea what was going on since the Potter's had not shown the newspaper that would have announced the death of a Hogwarts alumni that had died under suspicious circumstances two days ago. The former Ravenclaw was first in his class and he was training as an Auror when he died. His offense that determined his death; he was a muggleborn. He was only 21.<p>

The two girls burst into their dorm room after spending some times with the boys, oblivious to the pain the older students were in, remembering the former Head Boy.

"Lily Darling!"

Lily jumped three feet in the air and spun with a terrified look on her face. When she saw that it was just her roommate, she sighed deeply and collapsed on her bed. Alice laughed at her friend's face; it was priceless. Marlene snorted but didn't look up from her fashion magazine.

"What's wrong Lilyflower?" Ursula asked with a smirk on her face. Ursula grabbed an extra quill and changed it into a lily. Ursula spun to Lily's bed and knelt in front of her, "My dearest Lily, please accept this lily as a token of my affection." She bowed her head and head the transfigured quill above her head.

Lily rolled her eyes at Ursula's antics. None the less, she grabbed the flower and placed it on her bed table.

"I take it someone had a good Christmas."

Ursula looked up shook her head, the twinkle in her eyes as bright as ever, "Nope. My Christmas was absolutely horrible. I had to spend it with the Malfoys. The only up side was when my Uncle Alphard went bezerk on my mom. It was epic."

Alice rolled her eyes at her. Lily jumped up, startling the other girls in the room and she dived towards her trunk. She went digging around her trunk and grabbed four small packages.

"I forgot to give everyone their gifts before we left for break! I would've sent them but I don't have an owl." She apologized as she handed them out to their owners.

They all got books. They weren't extremely long but they were about two hundred pages each. Elyse got a book titled, _Wizards: Muggleborns and How they Affect the Wizarding World for the Better_. Alice was the owner of _Wizards: Purebloods Who Defend Their Families Beliefs_. Marlene got_ Wizards: Half-Bloods and Where They Stand in Society _and Ursula got_ Wizards: Purebloods from Dark Families and How They can Escape._

"They were all part of a set I saw when my parents took me to Diagon Alley before we went home. Patrick Bagshot just wrote them and I thought they looked interesting. When I saw all four of them I thought of all of you and I thought you would like it." She finished and looked a little worried, not wanting to offend anyone.

"'his's awesome, Lily," Elyse said as she started to flip through her book already. When the other girls clearly liked their new books, Lily practically sagged with relief.

There was a brief silence in the room as the girls looked at their new gifts. Ursula seemed especially taken by her book and already had her nose stuck in it. Lily was ecstatic when she saw that because Ursula usually only read for classes or if she needed to learn a spell for a prank.

"You know what we need to do?" Marlene asked, putting her book gently down on her side table.

"Woot?" Elyse asked.

Marlene smiled widely, "We need to have a sleepover."

Turning toward her, Ursula looked at her confused, "What? We technically have a 'sleepover' everyday."

Marlene rolled her eyes, "Not literally a sleepover," She picked up her magazine, "We need to do girly stuff. We'll do our hair and make-up and gossip about boys."

Ursula looked confused, "Girls normally do those sorts of things?" She asked.

Lily looked at her with sad eyes, "You've never had a sleep over before?"

"I never really had any girl friends before," Ursula said with a small shrug, "The only people I was allowed to be around before Hogwarts were people like Bellatrix and the like."

Marlene twisted so she was reaching underneath her bed. She pulled out a large bag and a mirror. She hopped off the bed and went into the bathroom only to reappear minutes later. She stood with a comb and brush in her hands,

"That's it missy. Tonight will be the first official "Girls of Gryffindor Sleepover Party" and we all shall participate in until we graduate."

She bounded over to Elyse's bed and sat a little bit behind her, "Do you mind if I do your hair? I have been dying to play with it all year."

"Knook yeh's socks oof," Elyse said as she pulled her hair out the bun it was normally held up in. Frizzy red curls fell about halfway down her back.

"Jeez, Elyse? How the heck did you fit all of this into a bun?" Marlene asked as she gently ran her fingers through the thick locks.

Elyse just shrugged and let the other girl play with her hair.

Ursula was sitting awkwardly on her bed while Lily went to take a shower and Alice started to flip through the magazine. Everyone seemed perfectly at ease with this idea while she was extremely uncomfortable.

"So…" She trailed off, "What are we supposed to be talking about?"

"Gossip, boys, stupid girls, boys, drama, boys," Marlene said.

Alice laughed, "You said boys three times."

Marlene spun around on the bed and smiled wickedly at Alice, "I know. You know, I've seen you staring at a certain sixth year Gryffindor." She taunted her.

A pillow went soaring through the room and hit Marlene right across the face and successfully knocked her off the bed. Since her hands were tangled in Elyse's hair, she pulled the muggleborn off the bed. They ended up on a pile on the ground.

"Why deh I always end oop on teh ground," Elyse grounded. Marlene popped up from over the bed and threw two pillows at Alice. She was able to duck the first one but the second on hit its target. Alice retaliated but this time Marlene ducked and the pillow hit Lily just as she walked out of the bathroom.

The room was deathly silent until Ursula burst out laughing. All the girls turned to look at Ursula, then look at each other, and back at Ursula. The Black girl was laughing so hard, that she didn't see the four pillows before they hit her.

She was knocked back so she was laying down on her bed and almost completely covered by pillows. She sat up and laughed at the other girls, who were surprised to see her happy.

"So who does Alice fancy?" Ursula asked with a chuckle still in her voice. Her eyes were extremely bright, looking like freshly polished silver.

Alice turned bright red and muttered something.

"Woot was 'hat?" Elyse asked with a smirk.

The girl crossed her arms defiantly over her chest, "I'll say if you guys say first."

"Fine. I think that that James Potter is pretty cute. Plus, you know that he is going to turn out sexy when he gets older." Marlene said with a smirk.

"What!" Lily asked in a shocked and outraged voice, "How could you like that arrogant prat? He struts around like he owns the school because he is just so cool! His ego is bigger than anyone has the right to have and-"

Lily's rant went on and on and when she finally stopped, Alice leaned over and whispered in Ursula's ear, "Bet you they end up married."

"Not even going to take that bet," She whispered back. Then she said in a louder voice, "Well, who do _you_ like Lily?"

Lily turned bright red so brightly that it matched her hair, "You see…I don't really…he's just…" she stalled and tried to avoid answering.

"She fancies Severus!" Marlene shouted. Lily's eyes widened and she tackled Marlene to the bed and covered her mouth,

"Don't believe her!" Lily shouted desperately and looked at the other girls with pleading eyes. Her silent pleas were met with disbelieving grins. She looked at them desperately, "I swear I'm-"

"Desperately in love with Severus Snape!" Marlene shouted loudly as she took advantage of Lily's temporary distraction. Her further attempts at talking were muffled by Lily when she shoved a pillow on her face.

"Shut up!" Lily shouted at her.

"It's okay Lily, we all know you love those Slytherin boys." Ursula said with a crooked smile.

"Yeah, she wants him to slither-in to her bed." Alice added with a raunchy smile.

Lily looked horrified, "No I don't! Stop guys! Please!" She begged. Marlene managed to wiggle out from underneath her and she went to sit one her own bed, her face red holding in laughter and the pillow being shoved on her face.

"Yeh look mighty embarrassed fer it teh false," Elyse said with a wiggle of her eyebrow.

Lily looked crossly at her fellow muggleborn, "Well, who do you like? You don't seem to be willing to share."

When Elyse turned bright red, everyone turned to look at her.

"Elyse," Ursula began with a large smile, "Who do you fancy?"

"No, 'tis is awkward." Elyse said, shaking her head rapidly back and forth.

The girls swarmed her and got right up to her face,

"Please,"

"Pretty, please,"

"With a cherry on top?"

"Tell us!" They begged.

Elyse looked at their wide eyes, the colors ranging from silver to bright green to midnight blue to chocolate brown. They all gave her the puppy dog look and she could feel her resolve cracking. They looked so sad that she finally broke,

"I fancy Sirius!" She exclaimed before she covered her mouth with her hands, her pale green eyes wide with shock that she actually said that out loud.

Three of the girls squealed while Ursula stared in shock at her best friend. She fancied her brother? Elyse made contact with Ursula and said,

"Ursula…"

The girl stared at her with a serious face for a good ten seconds making Elyse feel really nervous. She didn't know how her friend would respond to her liking her brother; that was why she never told anyone.

"That's wicked! We could be related!" Ursula said with a laugh deciding to take her friend out of her misery.

Elyse sagged with relief, "I thoot yeh's wood be oopset."

Ursula scoffed, "Me get angry at something? Never."

The other girls shared a look before they burst into laughter. Ursula glared at them before getting up to get the magazine. She looked at the cover and saw the girl with bright colored nails on front.

"What spell would do this?" She asked.

Lily calmed herself and her eyes lit up when she saw what Ursula was asking about. She ran over to her trunk and pulled out a small plastic make-up bag. She pulled out some small bottles while she began to explain, "There isn't a spell. It's a muggle thing. You use nail polish on your nails. I could do yours if you want."

Ursula nodded and sat down in the middle of the room while Lily went to get a small towel to put under her hands. They sat in the middle of the floor while Marlene went back to braiding Elyse's hair.

"We never found out who Ursula liked," Marlene commented airily.

Ursula spun around to glare at her. Lily yelled at her and forced her to turn around, scolding her for making her mess up the nails. Alice's face appeared over the edge of her bed,

"That's true. So who makes your heart pound, the reason why you live every single day? The light of your life; the laugh to your joke; the spark to your fire; the butter to your beer?"

Ursula rolled her eyes, "Given this much thought?"

Alice nodded, "Every time I see him," She said in a dreamy voice. She snapped out of it seconds later and she gave Ursula a look,

"Tell us who you fancy." She commanded.

Ursula shrugged, "I don't really fancy anyone. Honest," She added when she saw their disbelieving looks.

"Cut the b.s. and tell us." Lily said, "Everyone like someone."

There was a face that came to mind and her cheeks turned a light shade of pink. She prayed that they didn't notice her reaction, but it seemed that luck was not on her side.

"Oooo, she fancies someone and it's going to be good because she's blushing," Marlene said in a sing-song voice.

Her cheeks were burning at this point, "I don't want to say. Okay, maybe some other time. I promise."

Lily gave her a look, "Listen, whatever is said in here is going to stay in here. We won't tell anyone."

She sighed and looked at all the hopeful faces but she had never been one to share her feelings. Her mother had pounded into her head that a true pure blood never shows emotion in front of other people. But then a thought struck her, was she even a true pureblood?

No she wasn't.

"You have to swear on your magic that you won't tell anyone," she said, looking at all the girls seriously.

All the girls jumped off the beds and sat in a semicircle in front of her. They all nodded solemnly until Alice broke into a bright smile and clapped her hands together excitedly, "Oh, this is going to be good!"

Ursula waited until they were silent.

"Ben." She said softly, barely audible to their ears.

The four girls squealed loudly and Marlene even launched herself across the circle and hugged her tightly. Before Ursula could even react Marlene pulled herself back.

"That is so CUTE! He fancies you too! Have you ever seen the way he looks at her; it is so meant to be," she gushed.

Eager to get the attention off of her, Ursula turned to Alice, "You know Alice has yet to tell us who she fancies." She said with a sly smile.

The smile disappeared from Alice's face so quickly, if you blinked you would have missed it.

"Oh yeah, who _do_ you fancy Alice?" Lily asked, nudging her in the shoulder.

Alice was the brightest anyone had ever seen anyone. She was so red, it seemed like she was challenging the curtains that surrounded each of their beds. She was so red, she was winning.

"You guys will make fun of me!" She wailed, hiding her face in her hands.

"We might poke a little fun at you, but we will never be cruel about it," Lily comforted her before she went back to painting Ursula's nails.

"Don't be such a baby," Marlene taunted her.

"Probably noot as bad as meh likin' Sirius," Elyse tried.

Alice sighed and said, "Frank Longbottom," Really fast. She squeezed her eyes shut and seemed to fold into herself to protect herself from the ridicule she was sure she would get from her roommates. She was surprised by the silence. She popped open an eye and saw that they didn't really seem shocked by the confession.

"Why aren't you guys freaking out?" She asked.

Lily looked up and smiled softly, "We already knew. You get this look every time he comes near us."

"I saw you in charms writing Alice Longbottom in your notes." Ursula explained. "Plus I think it is kind of cute."

"You don't think it's impossible?" Alice asked in a soft voice, hope building inside her.

Elyse snorted, "Me mum 'nd Pop's eight years apoot. Yeh 'nd Frank's only five. Yeh's got a chance."

"You guys can have a bunch of dark haired, dorky Gryffindors that look like dweebs for five years and then suddenly look hot. They can be awesome at Herbology and Charms. Oh, and we can't forget that there's a fifty percent chance the kid will be petrified of brooms." Marlene laughed, bringing up the memory of Alice in their first flying class.

Alice stuck out her chin defiantly, "Frank is an excellent flyer so he will make sure our children know how to fly before they come here."

"Already having kids? Have you discussed this with Frank yet?" Ursula asked, wiggling her eyebrows.

Alice threw the magazine at her, "Shut up! You know what I meant!"

"Yeh want teh do 'he dirty wit Frank," Elyse supplied from behind Marlene; she was now doing the other girl's hair.

"I never said that!"

"You implied." Marlene said simply.

Alice turned to what might be her only ally, "Lily, please set them straight."

Lily had just finished on Ursula's nail so she scooted back a bit, "I just have one question."

"What?" Alice asked exasperated.

"Can I be godmother?"

Laughter covered up Alice's shout of indignation. It was so loud that the Annabelle heard it all the way up in the seventh year's dorm. She was standing right outside of the door; she couldn't stay in there any longer. Her roommate was the sister of the alumni that died. Josephine Clarrin was inconsolable after she saw the Prophet on one of their roommate's trunk. She thought that she would be okay coming back, but obviously she wasn't.

The girl had just seen her brother the day before and they had had their worst fight in years. She knew he was up to something and she had no idea what he was doing so she tried to talk him out of it. Mathew told her that he would be fine and she didn't need to worry. She called him an idiot that was just trying to be a Gryffindor and he was jealous of her. They went at it and it ended with her screaming that she hated him. He apparated away and was found dead two days later.

The laughter coming from the first year's dorm brought a grim smile to her face. They were so young right now, not a care in the world. They probably didn't even know Voldemort's name yet. The only thing that would be world shattering to them would be if Gryffindor lost the Quidditch Cup. Sadly, Annabelle knew in the bottom of her heart that they would one day be in her exact position; standing outside of their room trying to breath after learning of someone's death. One day is the not so distant future; they are going to lose someone they love. The war wasn't something that was going to end quickly and she was almost positive that it would be worse seven years from now. By the time Ben becomes of age, death will be surrounding everyone. Possibly even him.

Annabelle's throat tightened when she thought of her little brother. Ben was by no means stupid, but he would stand up for what is right until the end. There was no way that he wasn't going to end up sucked into this war, just like she was going to. Their family had too much notoriety; her father is the Head of the Auror's Department right now and possible candidate for Minister of Magic when the current man resigned at the end of this year. They were too outspoken, they could never try to hide in the neutral area because they weren't meant to do that.

She thought back to every single mean thing she had said to her brother. He had never shown any sign that he was affected by them, always forgiving her instantly (once she cooled down that is) and acting like it never happened. He may be an annoying little brother, but the thought of him dying caused her throat to tighten up. She wasn't ready to face the fact that she was going to lose people she loved. Her parents, her brother, Gideon, Fabian, Frank, Benjy; all gone because some pompous wizard wanted to start a war and kill muggles.

So she would fight. She would fight and die so her friends could live a good life. She would fight and die for her old school. She would fight and die for her parents.

She would fight and die for Ben, so he wouldn't have to.

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><p>Don't forget to review! Pretty please with a cherry on top? I'll write the next chapter faster if you do.<p> 


	16. What is He Doing?

So I have recently been hit with a lot of inspiration, as you can tell by now three chapters added and an additional one shot added in under four days. The friendship they have just keeps evolving and stories come up in my mind, and it is insane what this is turning into. In this chapter is the 40,00 word and we aren't even fully into second term of their first year yet. With this story going past their graduation, I am just starting to fully comprehend how long this is going to be and how long it will take me to write this.

Since this story is not just in its infancy anymore, I would greatly appreciate more reviews. I know sometimes I don't review because I feel that the author will never update again. I can assure you that I am going to finish this even if it kills me

I have put a lot of time into this so the least you, the reader, can do is leave a review. I don't expect to have extremely long reviews, I would just appreciate some words of encouragements or maybe mentioning something you liked or disliked about the story.

Now I would like to present the 16th Chapter of A Black and White Story, What is he doing?

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><p>It was two weeks later. All the first year Gryffindors and Slytherins had class together, which usually meant some sort of injury on both sides. But this was no ordinary class. No, they were in History of Magic where the ghost professor seemed determined to make his students join him in the afterlife.<p>

Ursula and Sirius were using their new journals Remus had gotten them for them for their birthday to plan a prank against the Slytherins during lunch. So far, it was something involving sparkles, goo, and public humiliation.

The rest of the class sadly did not have magical journals that allowed them to discreetly talk to their twin. They were left to the fate of listen to Binns drone on and on and on…and on.

Elyse had just finished drawing a doodle of the other Hogwart's ghost kicking Binns out of the castle when a thought hit her. She hadn't had a vision in a while so she closed her eyes and concentrated.

She focused on what was to come, uncertainty. She began to feel lightheaded and it felt like she was moving through water at a fast pace. Her body temperature dropped and her limbs went limp. The vision would come to her, she just needed the trigger. A flash of red hair brought her attention,

_A young man, not a day over 21, slowly opened his eyes. There was a loud sound coming from somewhere. When he finally came out of his sleep induced haze, he realized that there was a baby crying. The room was pitch dark in the room but it didn't look like there was anyone else in the king sized bed with him. The curtains fluttered in the midnight's summer's breeze and allowed moonlight into the room. It reflected off the gold ring on his fourth finger on his left hand. giving it an eery glow._

_He groaned in an exhausted voice of a man that had not been getting enough sleep, "Elyse," and waited a moment. The crying got louder and louder. Sighing, he kicked off the blankets and grabbed his wand. With a quick flick of the wrist, the wand brightened the room. He looked back only a second to see the empty side of the bed and didn't look that surprised._

_He swung his legs over the edge of the bed and softly walked across the hallway into the nursery and put his wand down in the room decorated in pink. He walked past one crib and immediately went to the other. The grown up Ben looked down at the crying, red-headed baby below him with a soft smile on his face._

The vision cut off. Elyse came back to the present with a small gasp. Thankfully, the bell rang at that exact moment so no one heard. She gathered up her stuff and ran to Gryffindor Tower. What did this mean? She didn't like Ben at all, yet he said her name when asking who would care for the baby. Plus, the baby did have bright hair; a color that was easily dominated by other colors. She grabbed her journal and quickly drew the older version of Ben looking down at the baby.

She had just put the finishing touches on it when the door opened,

"Elyse, what's wrong? You ran out of History of Magic like you were on fire." Ursula asked, tossing her book bag on her bed. She loosened her necktie before lying down on the bed. Her eyes lit up when she saw the Vision Journal.

"Oh, have any good visions lately?" Ursula asked, excitedly.

Elyse gulped loudly. When you have a vision of being married to your best friend's crush and having a child with him, that is hard to answer.

"Eh, nootin' much." Elyse answered with a noncommittal shrug.

Ursula's face fell a little, but she rebounded quickly, "Oh well. Let's go to lunch. Sirius and I have a wicked prank idea."

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><p>Sirius was right in the middle of explaining the execution of the prank, "-Then Sissy here will use James's cloak and…Peter's what wrong?"<p>

Peter had gone pale in the face and was staring at a third year's Herbology book.

"Guys, we have Herbology next right?" He asked.

They all nodded simultaneously.

He gulped, "Didn't we get homework over the weekend?"

They paused a moment, most of them realizing that they hadn't done it, but Sprout didn't really punish them for not doing homework. The worst they would get is a disapproving look from her and maybe they would have to stay ten minutes after class.

He looked at them with terrified eyes, "Didn't Professor Sprout say that if we didn't do our homework over the weekend we would be banned from the next house Quidditch game?"

Now they remembered her new policy.

"SHIT!" Sirius exclaimed as he frantically dug through his bag for some parchment. Ursula grabbed a quill while James pulled out his book. Elyse was looking for her half finished assignment while Peter searched for the assignment details.

"I can't believe we forgot!" Ursula exclaimed as she started to write stuff down.

The others were in a similar state to her.

Remus and Ben shared a look before they looked back at their panicking friends. They had done the assignment the Saturday before. They nodded at each other and went to get their papers but that was before a prefect started to shout that it was time to go to class.

Five of them shared horrified looks. The next Quidditch game for Gryffindor would decide if they went to the championship game. They had been looking forward to that game since they attended their first Quidditch game all those months ago.

Apparently, they were taking too long because the prefect came over and practically dragged them to the doors. They trudged to Herbology, dread weighing down their hearts.

When Ursula walked into the greenhouse and saw down in her usual seat between Elyse and Ben. She placed her crumpled paper on the desk and hid her face in her arms. There was no way for them to get out this; there was no fancy trick they could play to be able to attend the game. If someone was banned from the game, magical wards on the pitch kept them out.

Ben saw her distressed state as he took his usual seat next to her. Her jet black curls completely covered her arms. You could feel the sadness and disappointment radiating from her body. He felt so bad for her, he knew how much she loved Quidditch. While he loved the sport, she lived for the sport. A thought passed through his mind. It wasn't intended to be taken seriously; it was one of those things you would question later and ask 'why did I do that?' but he went with it.

He grabbed the corner of crumpled parchment from under her arms. She sat up, her face full of melancholy.

"What are you doing Ben?" She questioned him, looking at him like he was crazy.

He smiled secretively. He pulled out his wand, checked that Sprout wasn't there, and tapped his wand on his paper. Before Ursula's very eyes, Benjamin White disappeared from the top of the paper only to be replaced by Ursula Black. The hand writing changed from his elegant script, to Ursula's slightly messier handwriting. He did the same to her paper, just vice-versa.

Ursula looked at him with wide eyes when he held it towards her. She shook her head, "No, I can't take that."

He shook his head and shoved the paper towards her a little more, "I insist. I can miss one Quidditch game."

"But your sister is the team captain! This is her last year playing! I can't be responsible for you missing that moment for her. She would never forgive me."

Ben rolled his eyes, "She probably won't even notice that I missed. She'll give me a play by play afterwards anyway. You aren't going to win this; just take the paper." His dark brown eyes stared into her silver and she felt her resolve weaken.

Muttering about stupid boys that shouldn't miss their sister playing in a game, she took the paper grudgingly. Ben chuckled quietly at her. The teacher had just walked in and called the class to order so Ben leaned over to whisper in her ear,

"You know, Ursula, I allow my friends one free copy."

"Yeah?" She asked with a smile, remembering their conversation when they officially became friends. She had told him that he had made his mistake and he didn't get another one as her friend.

"Yup, and consider it used."

"Consider it considered," She said, using his words.

They shared a smile, completely missing Marlene making kissy faces at them across the room.

"Class, I will come around to gather your homework right now. Please keep the volume level down while you discuss today's activity on the board with your partner."

She collected the first few papers from the Ravenclaw in the front row before moving to the second row; right to James Potter.

"Professor Sprout, may I ask something?" He asked with a cocky grin on his face as he leaned back in his chair.

Ursula looked at Ben, their eyes asking the silent question 'what is he doing?' before they turned to look back to watch the scene unfold.

"Yes, Mr. Potter." The kind Hufflepuff Head of House said.

"You see, I think that I should be exempt from this assignment."

Her grinning face faltered, "Why do you think that?"

He smirked, "Well, I am too important to risk my safety. I'm just too great."

The entire room was silent.

Professor Sprout looked at him shock and placed the papers down on the desk, "Excuse me Mr. Potter, but do you have a problem with my class?"

He slammed his chair to the ground and looked up at her with defiant hazel eyes, "As a matter of fact, Sprouty, I do. This is a pointless class designed to make wimps to feel better about themselves."

Sprout's, along with half the class's, mouths had dropped to the ground.

"Are-are you saying what I think you are saying," She asked, still relatively calm for someone that had just been told her profession was a joke and designed for wimps.

"Yup, I am saying that this class is softer than Divination, which if you ask dear old Minnie, is so soft that little muggle babies can't even hurt themselves on it."

"Mr. Potter, you will keep your opinions to yourself!" Sprout scolded him.

He smirked lazily at her and leaned back in his chair, "No."

"This is not up for debate." She said in the strictest tone anyone had ever heard her use.

James shrugged, "I say it is."

The rest of the class watched in awe. James was acting like he…wanted…to get in trouble. What was going through that boy's head was a mystery to everyone, even his closest friends. He had admitted in the past that her thought that Sprout was one of the fairest teachers so now his actions made no sense.

"I will not stand for such behavior,"

"Then maybe you should sit down." James said as if he was calmly telling Sirius they were on page fifteen.

Professor Sprout had reached her point. James had been pushing and pushing the normally calm teacher farther and farther until she hit the breaking point.

"That is it! Mr. Potter come with me. Everyone else, class is dismissed." She grabbed James's shoulder and led him through the center aisle; he winked at Elyse and Ursula.

"Have fun at the game," James mouthed to them and gave them a discreet thumbs up as he walked past them. Ursula's, Elyse's, and Ben's mouths feel open. He had probably just given himself well over a week of detention and banishment from the next Quidditch game for his friends.

Say all you want about James Potter, but you would have a hard time finding someone more loyal to their friends than he was.

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><p>Please don't forget to review. I don't want to sound needy but I feel that this should be a give-take relationship and for most readers (There are some phenomenal exceptions) are just taking and not giving. All I ask is that you take two minutes of your time to leave a review.<p> 


	17. The Goblet of Water

I am going to keep this short. _Review_. Check out note in the bottom.

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><p>"Oi, Potter!" James heard someone shout down the hallway. He huffed, annoyed, and turned around to glare at the person that happened to come across him after his detention with Sprout. It seemed like Sprout wanted to torture him since she made him clean pots right near the window, where he could just faintly hear the game. No one ever expected Hufflepuffs to be mean, but James will tell you; it's the quite ones you have to worry about.<p>

"Annabelle?"

Her normally bright, shiny red hair was windblown and about two shades darker from sweat and dirt. Her uniform was rumpled; one side was streaked with grass stains from what would have probably been a spectacular fall. It probably just looked serious when it happened; she walked with no limp and she didn't appear to be in any pain.

She wrapped an arm around his shoulders and smiled down at the small boy, "I heard what you did in Herbology. The whole team did in fact. So since we've won our game we're having a fun day tomorrow. What do you say to joining us?"

"Hell yes!" James exclaimed, nodding his head so quickly his glasses flew off his face. Both of them reached out to catch the spectacles. It was surprisingly James's hand that wrapped around the frames, leaving the star chaser's hand empty while extended midair. Annabelle looked at him with appraising eyes.

"What?" James asked, putting his glasses back on.

She moved her hand back to her side and tilted her head to the side, "You would have a good chaser. I know my opinion doesn't matter since I'm gone next year, but that also means my spot is open. I'll have to talk to Longbottom, but if he has any sense as a captain and you're reflexes are just as good catching at quaffle, let's just say that you should invest in a good broom over the summer." She clapped him on the shoulder before she ran off somewhere.

James looked in front of him. There was no one. He looked behind him. Deciding that he was indeed alone, he threw his fist in the air and started jumping up and down.

"YES!"

There was a creak and James froze mid dance. His eyes widened and he strained his ears to hear if anyone was coming near. He heard soft footsteps coming from behind him. He jumped a foot in the air and sprinted towards the common room faster than you could say Quidditch. His loud footsteps echoed off the walls, covering up the soft snickering.

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><p>The next morning James was insufferable. He sat through breakfast in silence only after Elyse threatened to silence him after he harassed them to hurry up. He had pushed them to eat quicker because he wanted to get down to the pitch, but his muggleborn friend wanted to eat her meal in peace.<p>

Deciding that he was too bored, he saw his goblet of water, his wand, and the back of Snape's head. As quietly as he could, he pulled out his wand and whispered, "Wingardium Leviosa"

The goblet slowly floated towards the Slytherin table. No one noticed the floating goblet between the tables because most of Gryffindor was recovering from last night's party and Slytherin was still bitter about last night's loss.

Remus had just looked up from his book when he saw the glittering goblet that was just beginning to tip over.

"James!" He whisper shouted and hit James's arm roughly.

With the magic no longer affecting the cup, it completely tipped over and soaked Snape from head to toe. He stood up with an enraged yell and spun to look at a laughing James Potter. When Sirius realized what James had done, he started to choke on his drink. Ursula, who was also chuckling, pushed over her goblet of pumpkin juice towards her brother, "Here you go you fool."

"Hey, need some shampoo Snivellus?" Sirius taunted once he caught his breath.

Elyse and Peter were both laughing behind their hands, but their shoulders shook with suppressed laughter. Ben and Remus just shared a look at each other as if to ask 'Do we really hang out with these buffoons?' they looked at their laughing friends and then back at each other with smiles on their faces, 'Yes, yes we do.'

Snape, humiliated in front of Gryffindors and Slytherins alike, grabbed his plate of food and flung it over the tables, sending it flying towards James. James, who was laughing at Sirius's comment didn't see what was coming towards him. Ursula was about to push him out of the way, but he didn't need to worry.

It was almost like magic when the plate suddenly spun a little to the right and ended up hitting Ursula in the head. The weight of the plate combined with the force it had practically knocked the girl unconscious. Some people say that stars dot their vision, but for Ursula, little snitches started flying around in front of her. Elyse and James reacted quickly to grab her shoulders to keep her upright.

The smile was instantly gone from Sirius's face. No one, no one, hurt his sister and got away with it. Anger ran through his veins when he saw some blood run from a small cut on her forehead. He jumped from his seat and spun towards the Slytherin table,

"SNAPE!" He shouted before charging over to the table. Thankfully Remus and Ben grabbed his arms and pulled him back towards the Gryffindor side of the Hall. They were angry with the Snape too, but knowing Sirius's overprotective side, he would do much worse to Snape than he might have deserved.

"Amycus!" A voice farther down the table shouted. The flying plate had caught the attention of some of the older students. Jacob Spinnet, a beater for the Gryffindor Quidditch team and a fifth year student, stood up with his wand drawn.

Amycus smiled at the younger boy and casually spun his wand between his fingers while his sister Alecto Carrow laughed,

"What are you going to do about it, Gryffie?" Amycus taunted. Seconds later, a bright light flashed across the hall and before Amycus had time to react, he was soaring through the air. He landed with a sickening crack against the stone floors. He cried out in pain and grabbed his left arm tightly against his body.

By then the teachers were running towards the students. Practically all of the students were standing, their wands drawn to duel. But when the teachers arrived most of them put their wands down and eventually got back to their own conversations. But those that were closest to where the fight started, stayed vigilant, expecting the enemy to attack when their backs were turned.

The world had just stopped spinning for Ursula when McGonagall and Slughorn got between the two rival houses.

"What is the meaning of this?" McGonagall all but shrieked at them. Slughorn had raced over to his student and began to examine his arm. It was only with gentle coaching that Amycus let the professor tend to him broken arm. Deciding that it was indeed broken, Slughorn helped Carrow to his feet and led him to the Hospital Wing. McGonagall on the other hand, was left to dole out the punishment.

"Mr. Spinnet, I cannot fathom why you would do such a thing! This rivalry with Slytherin has to end immediately! Sadly, I am left with no choice but to-"

She was cut off by an angry Jacob, "Professor, Carrow charmed the plate so that it would hit Ursula in the head! I don't give a damn what house someone is in but when they hurt a member of my house, I'm sure as hell going to fight back!"

McGonagall was looking angrier and angrier by the second, "And why, pray tell, would there be a plate flying towards Gryffindor table?" She said, giving him a look of complete disbelief and annoyance.

Jacob shrugged agitated that McGonagall wasn't really listening to him, "I don't know professor! All I know is that there was a plate being thrown towards Potter, the plate changed course right before it hit him, and then it practically knocked Black unconscious! I was just defending my house. It's a quality you should be familiar with; it's a 'Gryffindor' quality." He held his hands up before he sat back down. He stared up at his head of house as if daring her to refute his claim.

She sighed, closed her eyes, and rubbed her forehead. She may be a Gryffindor, but she never remembered her housemates being this troublesome or this violent. She opened her eyes and focused on the Black twins. Sirius was currently standing next to his sister, fussing over her head wound. The blood had started to drip into her eyes while Sirius pressed the napkin to her forehead to try to stop the bleeding.

"Miss Black, let me see your head," McGonagall ordered, concern for her student's health overshadowing her annoyance with her wand-happy students.

Sirius slowly removed the napkin, Ursula wincing as he did, to show her. The wound was not deep; it would heal on its own in a couple of weeks. But there was an ugly bruise already forming on her forehead and McGonagall worried about a concussion or brain damage. The amount of blood she was losing also worried her.

"Take her to the hospital wing immediately." She ordered Sirius, he tone much calmer and full of worry than it had been in the last five minutes.

Sirius nodded and gently and slowly helped Ursula stand on her own. The rest of the hall watches as she walked out of the room, weaving back and forth a bit while her brother tried to keep her steady. Every now and again she would stumble but Sirius kept her standing, taking most of her weight on his own shoulders.

Once they were out of sight, McGonagall turned her sharp gave to James.

"Why was someone throwing a plate at you?" She asked, knowing that he had to do something wrong.

James looked up at her with innocent eyes, "I don't know what you are talking about Professor. Honestly, I was just sitting here with my friends silently; Elyse had threatened to silence me if I talked."

She raised her eyebrow in disbelief, "You expect me to believe that you did absolutely nothing wrong here?"

He nodded very quickly, "I was just laughing out of joy that I got to practice with the Quidditch team and I think Severus thought I was laughing about him. So out of nowhere, this plate was flying at me." James was trying to look innocent but guilt started to build up in his heart. Ursula had gotten hurt because of something stupid he had done.

"LIAR! He poured a drink over my head!" Snape shouted, enraged that Potter was lying.

"Quite, Mr. Snape; I will listen to your side of the story in a moment." McGonagall said, shushing him before turning back to James, "And how would explain that he is indeed covered in water?"

James shrugged a small almost undetectable smirk on his lips, "I don't know; he must have just assumed that it was me."

"NO! I KNOW POTTER HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH IT!" Snape practically screamed.

"Mr. Snape!" McGonagall scolded, shocked at the usually quiet student causing such a ruckus, "Mr. Potter is obviously not the only person in this hall capable of using a levitation charm! It is possible that someone else poured the cup of water on your head. There would have been an investigation into the incident, but because of your rash behavior, there will be none and I will take fifteen points from Slytherin for unnecessary violence."

Snape stood there gaping at the teacher. When she turned her back to face the Gryffindors again, his look morphed into one of pure hate as he glared at Potter. James, who was just out of McGonagall's peripheral vision, was arrogantly smirking at his friends and fist bumped Peter behind his back so she wouldn't see and turn her wrath back on him.

"Mr. Spinnet, you must attend detention with Hagrid tonight and for the next two days as well. Feel lucky that I am not suspending you from the team." She added when she saw him open his mouth to protest his punishment. Annabelle put a hand on his shoulder to silence her fellow chaser before he got himself kicked off the team right before the Quidditch Cup.

"What about Carrow?" Ben asked, speaking up.

She turned back towards the group of first years. James was instantly back to the face of pure innocence.

"While it is none of your concern Mr. White, he will receive punishment for his actions. In the meantime, however, I suggest that you go visit your friend in the hospital wing."

They all nodded before they quickly walked out of the Hall. Snape watched, still standing, as they walked away. While the rest of the students got back to dinner, the Slytherin boy glared at their retreating backs.

They are going to pay for what they did; especially Potter. Severus would make sure of that.

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><p>Now please take a few seconds of your times to leave a review. It would be highly appreciated seeing as they keep me writing. Remember, if you have any questions, feel free to ask about it and I would be more than happy to answer. I know that I have a lot of OCs and minor characters and that can get confusing so if there is anything unclear, just ask.<p>

But even if you completely understand the story and you like it, please leave a review. It would make my day to know that someone likes my writing. Just keep that in mind.


	18. Fireside Chat

So I decided that since there isn't much time left in first year, I wanted to show a bit of each character by themselves and being a little more open to each other, showing how their friendships have grown. The first two up are Remus and Ursula having a heart to heart in the Gryffindor common room so I hope this is up to your expectations. If anyone would like to have a certain pair or trio highlighted in chapter, just leave a review with their names in it and I can see what I can do.

I haven't done this in a while so I guess I should remind everyone that I'm not J.K. Rowling and I don't own Harry Potter. I just own the people you don't recognize.

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><p>Madame Pomfrey looked down at the girl in front of her. She had just stopped the bleeding on Ursula's head and closed the cut. But there wasn't much she could tell from the actual damage the plate might have done. She seemed alright at the moment, but it was important that she stayed under constant supervision.<p>

Trying to think of a way to keep Ursula, who thought she was fine, under watch Madame Pomfrey turned to look at the six Gryffindors behind her. Sirius was the one that looked most worried; she knew that while he was reckless, he never took chances with his sister.

"Now, Miss Black, you can go back only to your dorms but," She pointed her finger at Ursula who had tried to jump up and run, "you must stay with at least one of your friends for the next twenty-four hours. If you feel light headed or your vision changes you have to come back up here immediately. Do you understand me?"

Ursula sighed impatiently, "Yes I understand. Can I go now?" She asked in a whiny voice.

"Yes. Now I don't want to see you—" Pomfrey began but faltered when Ursula and the rest of her friends went running out of the hospital shouting, "Thanks Poppy!"

"for the rest of the term," she finished weakly after them.

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><p>"Are you sure you are alright?" Ben asked her as they all walked down towards Gryffindor Tower. Elyse and Sirius were on both of her sides while James, Peter, and Remus walked behind her if she were to fall back. Ben had to turn around to as he led his friends back to their dorms.<p>

"Yeh took a naswsty 'it to teh hed." Elyse reminded her, putting her hand gently on Ursula's arm.

She shook her head, "I feel fine; you worry warts."

"Oi, Potter, are you coming?" Frank Longbottom stood in jumper that said, "No Free Broom Rides" and jogging pants with his broom swung over his shoulder. He looked down at them, his curly brown hair falling into his eyes a bit.

"Hell yeah! Just have to change and I'll be right back!" James shouted as he ran into Gryffindor Tower ahead of his friends. Frank laughed at him when he almost tripped getting into the common room. Shaking his head, he turned to look at the rest of the friends,

"You know," he began with a smile on his face, "I don't think Ashes would mind the rest of you watching practice. It's not like you are spies for Ravenclaw or something."

"Ashes?" Peter asked, confused.

Frank laughed as if he was remembering a funny joke, which he kind of was, "That's what I call Annabelle. Since her hair is like fire and she has such a dominate personality, all she leaves is ashes in her wake."

"She hates that nickname," Ben laughed, knowing how much Annabelle hated it when Frank called her that.

Frank just laughed louder, "I gave her a choice; it was either Bells or Ashes. She chose ashes. So what do you say, want to watch a how a real Quidditch Team practices."

Ben raised an eyebrow, "I thought Anna said you guys were just going to goof off today?"

"Same difference," Frank replied with a wave of his hand. "Are you game?"

"Def…" Sirius trailed off when he saw Ursula sway slightly on her feet. She grabbed onto Peter for support. He took one look at his twin and decided,

"No. We need to stay with Ursula."

"What! No, go watch the practice, I know you want to," Ursula tried to convince her brother.

"Madame Pomfrey said that you have to go back to the dorms and we needed to stay with you for the next twenty-four hours," Peter tried to reason with her. She turned to glare at him, wanting him to shut up. He got the message.

Now Longbottom looked concerned for her, "How are you? That was a nasty hit at breakfast."

She stomped her foot impatiently, "I'm fine. If would be better if they went to watch the practice."

"Sissy, your health comes before watching a Quidditch practice," Sirius said with finality.

Seeing that this was escalating towards a fight, Remus decided to step in. He walked forward, in between the squabbling siblings.

"How about I stay behind with Ursula and the rest of you go watch the practice."

Everyone was silent after Remus's suggestion. After a beat, Ursula beamed at her friend, "See! This is why we keep him around; he's ruddy brilliant!" She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and gave him a tight squeeze.

The rest of them weren't quite convinced.

"Are you sure, mate?" Ben asked.

Remus nodded just as James ran out of the portrait hole.

"Ready to go." He said with a brilliant smile on his face towards Frank. He seemed to notice that something had just happened and he no idea what it was about. The smile waned on his face. "Is everything alright?" He asked them.

Ursula nodded with a small smile on her face, "Everything is alright. Remus and I are going to stay back while everyone goes and watches the practice."

"Brilliant! Let's go people; we're wasting daylight here!" He shouted. Frank laughed at his enthusiasm before leading the way to the pitch James following right at his heals. Ben and Sirius were quickly trying to add some Quidditch knowledge to Elyse's basic understanding of Quidditch. Peter hesitated a moment before he asked Ursula,

"Do you want me to stay back too? I feel bad just leaving the two of you alone." Peter said.

Ursula shook her head, carefully not to move her head to quickly though, "Nah, Pete. Go ahead. We'll play a game of wizard's chess later okay?"

Peter smiled in response and scurried off to catch up with his friends.

"And then there were two." Remus muttered under his breath as he told the Fat Lady the password.

The next words out of her mouth surprised Remus. "Are you Lombard?" She quipped with a smirk on her face. She paused and then pouted, "Darn, that leaves me as Vera. What a pity."

He stopped to look back at her, blatant surprise written all over his face. Ursula snorted and chuckled as she walked past him into the common room.

"What? I can read."

Remus shook his head and followed her, "I know, but that's a muggle book."

She shrugged as she sat down and stretched out on one of the couches, "I know. They don't speak a different language than us so it's not like I can't read their books."

Remus blushed red as he sat down near her, "I know…I just…your family…." He stuttered over his words as he tried to apologize for his assumption.

Ursula sighed, "I know my family is a bunch of purebloods elitists but that doesn't mean I never got out of the house. I borrowed the book from my neighbor who got it from a muggle school. I read it just to annoy my mom."

"Did it work?" Remus asked out of curiosity.

A downcast expression fell upon her face as she turned to look at the fire, "She never noticed. That was the week Sirius played tag with a group of muggle boys at the park across the street from our house. Mom was furious at him."

"That sucks." Remus said honestly.

Ursula just nodded, "Yup."

Remus paused to think a moment before he asked, "Does Sirius always…?" He didn't know how to word the question without upsetting his friend.

"Overshadow me? Get all the attention? Yeah but it doesn't matter." She finished before him, acting like it was a matter of fact.

That disturbed Remus.

"Yeah it does. Just because he's a boy doesn't mean anything."

Ursula snorted, "It does Remus; you're a half-blood, you can't even imagine how important it is that Sirius is a boy and I'm not. My parents needed someone to pass the family name down and to inherit the estate and that can only go to a son according to old wizard traditions. That's why my parents broke the 'norm' for only having one or two kids; they needed another son in case something happened to Sirius."

"By according to the ministry-"

She cut him off, "Ministry, shministry. My parents honestly don't give a damn. They weren't expecting twins, did Sirius ever tell you? When they went to the healers, they told them they were only having a boy. I was right behind Sirius so they never could see me in any of the fancy spells they do. Mom thought she was just having a really fat baby when she got farther along in her pregnancy. Then when I was born first and a girl, my mom went ballistic. She thought the healers lied to her but then the labor pain started up again and Sirius came into the world. They decided to keep me so they could marry off one day or something like that."

"I can't see you doing that." Remus asked honestly, shock and a tiny bit of pity all over his face. Ursula had always appeared so strong and self-reliant to see her with tears glistening in her eyes was something he never thought he would see.

"My parents don't love me Remus; they just see me as a way to get more power. I can't see myself doing that either but as long as they are my guardians, they can make any decision they want and they can't control it. I have to do what they say until I'm seventeen and I'm petrified." She admitted in a soft voice.

She was shocked to hear this confession tumbling out of her mouth but Remus was someone that wouldn't judge her. Out of all her friends, he was the only person that she thought wouldn't tell her to tell her family to bugger off (James) or start some valiant fight (Ben) or not know what to do (Peter and Elyse) or look at her with pity and end up causing more problems (Sirius). While he wouldn't completely understand the position she was in, he could look at it logically and not give her any advice, because there wasn't any to give. All he could do was listen and that was what mattered.

"You've already gotten out," Remus said, softly after a moment of silence.

She turned to look at him surprised, "What? No I haven't. I'm still going to have to-"

This time it was Remus that cut her off, "You're here, aren't you?" He gestured with his had around the room.

That's when it hit Ursula. If she had listened to her parents, she wouldn't be looking at the rich red of the Gryffindor common room's wall or be resting on the softest sofa known to mankind. The portraits on the wall would not be genially talking to them whenever they were sitting alone there. She would never hear the Fat Lady try to sing a horrendously high note. She would have never become friends with James or Peter or Ben or Elyse or Lily or Remus or Marlene or Alice or anyone else in the Tower for that matter. She would have been stuck in the Slytherin common room associating with people like Snape and the rest of her twisted family.

For the first time in a very long time, Ursula realized that she was free from her family at Hogwarts and subsequently, at home. And it took a wonderful soul named Remus John Lupin for her to realize that.

"Thanks Remus." She said with a soft smile.

Remus reached over and squeezed her hand softly as if to say 'No problem; what are friends for?' before moving back to his original spot.

"You know that you can't get rid of me know," Ursula said with a smile on her face.

"What do you mean?"

She laughed at how worried he looked, "You know my secret. You know too much now."

Ursula tried to keep a serious face but when she saw how concerned he looked, she burst out laughing, "I'm kidding Rem. You'd be my friend either way! Honestly, you need to calm down, you act like we're going to go running away screaming at some point."

She laughed again so she didn't hear him mutter softly under his breath, "You might."

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><p>Later that night, Ursula was getting ready for bed when Lily burst into the dorm. Lily looked furious as she flung open the door that hit the wall with a loud bang. Her settled on Ursula.<p>

"Is your head alright?" She asked with her green eyes snapping with anger.

Ursula slowly nodded once before Lily stormed over and shoved her back a few steps,

"HOW DARE YOU AND YOUR FRIENDS DO THAT TO SEVERUS! I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT YOU WOULD DO THAT TO HIM AND I AM DISGUSTED BY ALL OF YOU!"

Ursula instantly went of the defensive, "I have no idea what you talking about! If you don't recall I left right after McGonagall showed up so I don't know what happened!"

Lily poked Ursula's shoulder with her finger, "They had to tell you what Potter did after you left! Plus you were sitting next to him when he levitated the water over to Sev. You know exactly what I am talking about," She accused.

Ursula gently slapped Lily's hand away, "I'm not about to go to McGonagall and say 'Excuse me Professor McGonagall, I thought that you would like to know that my best mate, James Potter, did indeed pour the water on Snape and I want to see James get punished for his actions.' Honestly Lily what do you want me to do?"

"Tell the truth! Aren't Gryffindors supposed to be the honest and the noble? Not a bunch of little liars that are too afraid of their friends to do anything against them?"

Ursula had enough, "You know what Lily? I'm done. I'm not turning my back on my friend. And you know what else? Your little friend Snape is not a saint either. Remember the day we got back from break in potions, when Ben's and James's potion exploded and they were rushed to the hospital wing? Who was smirking the entire class? Think about it a little."

With that she closed the curtain around her bed and hoped that she wasn't closing out Lily permanently.


	19. Musical Soul

I have some bad new. My computer got a horrible virus and I lost everything. When I say everything, I mean _everything. _All the prewritten chapters I had are gone. Added all together, that is about 100,000 to 150,000 words gone. The worst part is that none of it can be recovered. The virus has spread throughout my computer so that it is impossible to even turn it on that this moment. I had to write this chapter on my sister's computer. Because of this problem, chapters are going to be updated at every sparatic intervals.

But I have found a silver lining in this. Some of the chapter later on would not have worke because just writing these nineteen chapters, things have changed that have affected what I already wrote. Plus some of it was written a long time ago so this gives me the chance to make it better. So I guess some good can come out of this.

I just wanted to make everyone aware of the situation because like I said earlier, updates are going to be really weird for a little while and I don't want anyone to think I abandoned this.

With that done, please enjoy reading the nineteenth chapter of A Black and White Story.

Oh, and don't forget to review.

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><p>It was a time of change at Hogwarts. The snow had melted, allowing the lush green grass to flourish after months of hibernation. Trees that had previously supported pounds of snow now sported gorgeous flowers. The sunlight beat down on the Earth, but the Black Lake provided a cool breeze. The birds that had left now returned and sang beautiful songs to anyone willing to listen.<p>

The majority of the school took advantage of the weather whenever they could. Students would take the longer way to class if that meant walking past a window or through one of the outdoor passageways. As the year was winding down, students would often not have a lot of homework and whatever homework they did have, they would work on it outside.

It would seem completely illogical for someone to stay inside.

But in Gryffindor Tower there was a young man sitting on his bed with sheets of music spread around him. A violin rested gently on his lap and he wrote in a sharp on his music. He picked up the violin and as softly as he could, he began to play again.

"BEN!" Sirius shouted up the stairwell. "COME OUTSIDE! HOMEWORK CANE WAIT!"

Ben froze and as quietly as he could, he began to put his stuff away. But luck was not on his side; Sirius burst through the door with James right behind him.

"Come on, we're going to nick a— Are you practicing?" Sirius asked when he saw the half closed violin case.

Ben shrugged, "I was but that's not important."

"Like Hell it isn't. Let's hear you play."

B en looked at his two friends with disbelieving eyes. Those two probably didn't know an oboe from an elbow. But the looks on their eager faces ruined his resolve not to play. He quickly picked up his violin and began to play his two pieces.

The first one was a minor, slow piece. The notes seemed to cry as they touched the air. His fingers rocked back and forth with haunting vibrato through the long sustained notes. The notes seemed to pull out every sad moment that you ever experienced. All the disappointment and loss and anger and sadness and pity and confusion and heartbreak a soul ever experienced seemed to be expressed in the resonate notes. He got lost in the music as he rocked back and forth slightly with his eyes closed as the notes rose and fell in beautiful harmonies. Soon, Ben forgot Sirius and James were even in the room; it was just him and the violin.

As the last note slowly died away, Ben kept his eyes closed and he slowly lowered his violin away from his neck. After taking a long breath he looked up to see a sight he never thought he would see.

James was rapidly blinking his eyes while Sirius was wiping the corners of his with his sleeve.

"Holy Hell mate, you need to warn people before you do that," Sirius said after clearing his throat. James nodded his head with agreement.

"You have talent Ben. You have some wicked talent."

Ben smiled happy that his friends weren't ridiculing him. They may not completely understand what he was doing but they listened.

"So what are you practicing for?" James asked; his eyes still a little red around the edges.

Ben shrugged as he put away the violin, "I want to try out for the Hogwarts Band but there are probably students here that have been playing twice as long as I have."

Sirius gave him a look of 'Are you kidding me?'

"You are being ridiculous. Listen, the amount of musical skill I have is turning on a radio, but I can tell that you are good Ben. Stop being such a downer on yourself over this music stuff. Just accept that some people are gits and they are being ignorant fools." James said.

Ben smiled and shuffled through his music, now eager to share his talent with his friends,

"Do you want to hear another one?" He asked.

"If it's another sad one, hell no!" Sirius exclaimed and jumped off the bed.

Ben laughed and shook his head, "It's a fast one I swear!"

He positioned his violin and began to play again. This time the notes seemed to soar around the room at breakneck speeds. His own happiness and joy seemed to push them further and farther than had just twenty minutes ago. As he played, his fingers flew up and down the neck of the instrument and his fingers seemed to be doing a fast jig over the strings.

Laughing, Sirius and James jumped from their seats and began doing the fakest Irish jig known to man kind. They kicked their feet out at random intervals, completely off the beat. If Elyse was in the room, the question would not have been if she would have hexed them. The question would just be how bad.

It was two weeks later and Ben was standing in front of the Ravenclaw head of house that would decide if he would be put into the Hogwarts band.

He had just finished his audition and he looked at the Professor who was currently writing away at his desk, the pen frantically scratching across the paper. Ben gulped as he waited. Was this normal? Why wasn't the professor saying anything?

Flitwick finally looked up at him with a sorrowful face and Ben's heart fell to his feet.

"I'm sorry Mr. White, but we don't have a violin part in our band; it's all brass."

"But I can play piano too! Maybe I can play bells or something-"

"I'm sorry," Professor Flitwick honestly did look sorry. "But there is no place for you in the band."

Ben closed his eyes and tried to think of a way to make this a positive thing, but he came up with nothing. Sadness filling every bit of him, he walked towards the back of the room and knelt down to put his violin away. He had just snapped the case shut when he heard,

"Wait a second, Benjamin."

Ben slowly spun around and stood up so he faced the extremely short man. He saw now standing (on a pile of books) so he was eye level with Ben.

"Benjamin, there is no way I can let you in the band but," he paused a moment, "due to your high musical ability, I want to offer you a part in the Hogwarts Choir. We always need more boys to join."

The red headed boy thought about that for a moment. Did he want to risk ridicule from his classmates for being a singer on top of a violin and piano player? He thought back to James's and Sirius's reaction two weeks prior. They didn't seem to care that he was a musician; heck, they seemed to like it. Then as clear as if he was standing next to him, Ben heard James's voice,

'_You have talent Ben. You have some wicked talent_"

"I'll do it Professor."

"Splendid! I wasn't sure if you would accept, but your sister seemed sure that you would." Flitwick said with a smile on his face.

Ben's brows furrowed, "Excuse me? My sister?"

Flitwick nodded, "Why yes, Annabelle brags about you all the time in class. She's quite proud of you, you know."

"Actually sir, no I didn't," Ben said with surprise clearly in his voice.

Annabelle? She had never once shown that she was even remotely interested in anything he did. It wasn't that surprising to Ben; she was six years older than him. For most of his childhood, she was already off at Hogwarts making friends with Frank, the Prewitts, and Fenwick. She would always ask him about his future Quidditch plans whenever she could, but never any of his music plans.

"Oh, well Benjamin, you should know that she threatened to knock me off my pile of books if I didn't let you in the music department here." Flitwick told him with a small laugh.

Ben smiled too; that sounded more like the Annabelle he knew.


	20. A Discovery

I'm back! My computer has been cured so hopefully these updates will come much quicker now. I already have the next chapter planned out so hopefully that will be up by tomorrow or Saturday. I'm excited because we are finally coming to the end of first year. I think that was the hardest year to get through, but I think that the other years will go by faster because as they get older, I have a lot more planned for this merry group of Gryffindors.

Please review because I always appreciate hearing people's thoughts and opinions on my story. I hope you enjoy.

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><p>"I'm bored," Sirius complained as he dramatically sprawled across his bed.<p>

He was rightfully bored. There were no more Quidditch games for another three weeks until the end of the term. There was a horrible storm outside so they couldn't go outside by the lake. He couldn't even go spend time with his sister- she had been 'kidnapped' by Lily for some 'girl bonding time' or some rubbish like that.

Ben rolled his eyes and held up the scroll to see how much longer he had to write, "Try doing your homework."

The other boy's response was to snort, "Funny joke Ben. Tell it again."

"Do your homework," Remus said. Ben laughed from the adjacent bed and they fist bumped.

"Ha, ha, is this gang up on Sirius day or something?" Sirius complained.

James looked thoughtful for a moment. He rubbed his chin while looking at the ceiling and mouthing numbers and days of the week. Finally he turned to Ben, "If I'm not mistaken, pick on Sirius day is…" he paused again dramatically. "Every day." He finished with a smirk towards Sirius.

"You know what?" Sirius began as he jumped off his bed, "I'm not going to listen to this. I'm off to go cause trouble and not be little goodie two shoes. You coming Pete?" Sirius offered the one person in the room that hadn't been making fun of him.

Peter, thankful for a reason not to do his potions homework, jumped from his bed and joined Sirius. While walking out of the room, Sirius grabbed James's invisibility cloak.

"Hey!" James shouted and tried to dive for his most precious possession.

Sirius threw a small piece of paper in his direction, "This is one of the five."

Begrudgingly, James tore up the piece of paper he had given his friend for his birthday all the while muttering things about stupid friends that have no respect for other people's possessions. Sirius ignored the muttering and stuffed the cloak in his messenger bag, not wanting their shared secret to be common knowledge to the whole school.

They had just walked out of the portrait hole when Sirius asked, "So Pete, what sort of mischief do you want to get into?"

Peter shrugged, "Nothing that will get us in trouble."

"Come on," Sirius said throwing his arm around Peter's shoulders, "No one ever had fun following the rules."

Two hours later, they had set a small trap for the Slytherins when they woke up. At the top of the dungeon stairs, they had left a thin string that when pulled would dump a bunch of mud they brought in from the outside.

They were wandering around where they thought the Hufflepuff Common Room was to try to find it when it happened.

Peter was walking closest to the wall and gently running his fingers across all the portraits. Most of them would shout in indignation at what they considered inappropriate touching. Sirius was just walking down the middle of the hallway trying to look at all of portraits to try to narrow down the one that was the entrance to the other house.

Then there was a giggle.

Both boys froze midstep and turned to look at the pear Peter had just run his hand over. Suddenly the portrait swung open. Sirius and Peter looked at each other for a moment before the delicious smells hit their noses. They took cautious steps into the dimly lit room

"Bloody hell," Sirius whispered in shock when he saw inside the room. The ceiling seemed to never end and the walls looked like they were glittering. There were some small candles that lit the room, but there wasn't much light to see any details.

"Hello?" Sirius called out. His call echoed but there was no response. He shrugged and turned back to Peter, "Well, mate, it looks like you found an empty room. Congrau-HOLY CRAP!"

A house elf appeared right in front of Sirius as he was talking, scaring him half to death. It felt like his heart was about to jump from his chest and do the can-can.

"Oh! Mitzi is sorry, sir, she is! Mitzi never meant to scare you, she didn't!"

Sirius placed his hands in front of him as if he was trying to assure a wounded animal he wouldn't hurt it, which Mitzi kind of looked like. She had scars that looked like they were years old. She looked slightly familiar to Sirius until it finally hit him,

"Mitzi! You were my crazy aunt's house elf until four years ago! I thought they'd done off with you!" He exclaimed, remembering the house elf that was forced to serve the Lestranges. Bella found a sick fascination with punishing the house elves with extremely cruel tactics for doing nothing wrong.

Her eyes widened even more, something that Peter thought was impossible, as she took in the student that bore great resemblance to her former family.

"Master Sirius! Mitzi is sorry she didn't recognize you! Mitzi is a bad elf!" She started to hit herself on the head but Sirius quickly grabbed her arms, "NO! STOP!"

She stopped and looked up at him with tear filled eyes, "You treat Mitzi well even though she forgets about your sister's kindness! Master Sirius is just as kind as Mistress Ursula!" She hugged Sirius tightly for a moment before she noticed Peter standing slightly behind his friend.

Much like a small child would hide behind a parent when meeting someone new, Mitzi ran behind Sirius's legs and peeked around him to look at the students she didn't recognize at all. Sirius decided to introduce them,

"Peter this is Mitzi. She's Bella's old house elf. Mitzi, this is my friend Peter Pettigrew."

Peter knelt down and held out his hand for her to shake, "Pleasure to meet you Mitzi."

She smiled and shook his hand enthusiastically, "Mitzi is glad to make a new friend in Master Peter."

"Mizti," Sirius began, "where are we?" He asked looking around the still dim room that was unidentifiable.

She smiled brightly and grabbed both of their hands and started to pull both boys forward, "This is the kitchens."

"Wicked," Sirius said, now able to figure out what all the shiny objects on the walls were. He stopped admiring all the pots and pans and turned back towards Mitzi,

"So how did you end up here?" He asked. He was honestly curious. The Lestrange family liked his mother's tradition of killing house elves and mounting their heads on the parlor wall so he couldn't figure out how she got out relatively unharmed.

"Mistress Ursula helped Mitzi. She gave mistress Bellatrix dirty sock which she tossed to Mitzi. Mitzi was freed and Master Albus offered Mitzi a job here at Hogwarts. Mitzi agreed because she likes cooking lots, yes she does. Cooking brings Mitzi joy, lots of joy."

Sirius smiled at her enthusiasm. The way he remembered her was a miserable and depressed house elf. Honestly, just being around her made you want to find a high tower to jump off of.

"Wait, Ursula did that?"

He tried to think of any time where she got in a lot of trouble with his mom – who no doubt would have been furious with her – but he couldn't remember that. He tried to remember any time she got in trouble for doing stuff he knew she did, but he came up empty.

She got away with every single thing she did while he got punished for it.

Why was that?

After having a late night snack that Mitzi made for him and Peter, they made their way back to their dorm, whatever prank they were going to do on the Hufflepuffs forgotten. Sirius was laying in his bed with the curtains undone. His hands were folded on his stomach and he looked like a corpse in the pale moonlight.

"James?" He whispered into the silent room.

His friend in the bed right next to him just turned over his sleep, snuggling into the blankets more.

"James," Sirius whispered a little louder.

There was no response.

"James," Sirius said in a normal talking voice.

This time James groaned, "What in Merlin's name could you want at," James half sat up and looked at the clock, "2:00 a.m.? He asked, rolling over to face Sirius.

Sirius didn't turn to look at him and continued to stare at the ceiling, "Do you think that my parents ignore Ursula?"

James let his head fall back into his pillows with an annoyed groan, "Listen, I may be your best mate, but I don't live with you. I've never met your parents so what makes you think that I will have the answer at two in the morning?"

Sirius blushed a little when he realized his mistake, "Sorry mate. Go back to sleep."

James didn't go straight back to sleep, "No, you woke me up, now I want to know what happened?"

After relaying the story of what happened in the kitchens – he knew they found the kitchens – Sirius was silent as he waited for his best friend's response. James was sitting on his bed and was thinking intently.

"I don't know Sirius. And you know if you ask Ursula, she'll deny everything; she's just like that. But we are going home in three weeks. If you notice something is wrong, feel free to come over to my house. My parents love you guys and wouldn't mind at all."

"Thanks for the offer James. Count on that offer being taken this summer. I mean, you know about what happened during the one week at Christmas and this is going to be close to two months with them…"

James laughed softly, mindful not to wake his roommates. "I hear you. Now let's get some sleep. We have McGonagall first thing tomorrow and she will kill us if we fall asleep in her class."

Sirius snorted but went under his covers all the same, "Minnie? She loves us. You, Ursula, and I are the best of our year in that class. She would never kill her most brilliant students."

"We are pretty brilliant if I do say so myself."

"Quite brilliant." Sirius agreed.

"Now," James said, "Let us rest our brilliant minds. Goodnight."

"G'night James."

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><p>Now if you would kindly leave a review, I promise that I will update faster! It will only take a couple of minutes at the most to say something.<p> 


	21. Quidditch Cup

Two chapters written and posted in one day? I think that deserves a review...hint...hint. This chapter is completely devoted to Quidditch so I hope that all the Quidditch fans out there will review because they love the sport so much and hopefully this chapter does it justice.

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><p>The air was electric in the castle. It felt like millions of sparks surrounded every single student from first year up to seventh year. No one could escape the excitement. It was impossible. It was the last week of school and everyone had already finished their end of the year exams so everyone was focused on one thing.<p>

Quidditch.

Today was the game that decided who won the Quidditch House Cup. It was between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw this year. Ravenclaw had won the year before but that was only because the Gryffindor seeker had sprained her wrist the previous week when she was pushed down some stairs by Slytherins that wanted Ravenclaw to win. They got what they wanted but this year was a completely different game.

This year, both teams had a phenomenal record. Gryffindor was undefeated while Ravenclaw had only lost to Gryffindor by twenty points. At this point, no one knew what the result of the game would be.

James was practically bouncing his seat as he waited for the Quidditch team to walk in. They had become heroes of sorts in the last couple of weeks, seemingly larger than life. They were all fifth years (Except one fourth year) and up and to a little first year, they were superheroes.

The Ravenclaw team entered the hall first. They were in their royal blue Quidditch robes already. Their bronze numbers on their back had a sharp contrast to the dark blue, just as sharp as their minds. Their faces were impassive as they walked down towards the end of the table and sat down, not even talking to the rest of their house. They were all very stiff and tense, but that was their style.

Ursula leaned over and whispered to James, "They look like they're happy."

He snorted in agreement. It looked like someone stuff a wand up each of their butts. He thought that they would at least look a little happy at making it to the House Cup game, but it looked like they were trying to study for their NEWTS.

"Where's d'Gryffindor-"

Elyse's question was cut short as the Great Hall doors were flung open. Fabian and Gideon Prewitt stood smiling in their brilliant red Quidditch robes. Behind them was Gideon's girlfriend, team captain, and Ben's older sister Annabelle. She had a wide smile on her face as she walked in like she owned the place. At her right was Frank Longbottom looking dashing in his uniform; Lily, Elyse, and Ursula swore they saw Alice swoon. Behind the pair of best friends was their other good friend and third and final chaser, Jacob Spinnet, the one that defended Ursula when Amycus Carrow charmed a plate to hit her. Behind him was Clara Roberts, a fifth year and the seeker. Right next to her, purposely placing himself between her and the Slytherin table, was Sean Wood. He was the youngest on the team; a fourth year, but he was the best keeper in the whole school.

Fabian and Gideon looked at each other with secretive smiles on their faces that usually meant nothing good for the rest of the school.

"Ready Fabian?"

"Ready Gideon."

They suddenly took off at break neck speeds and jumped up on the Gryffindor table. They landed perfectly on their feet and started slowly running down the table. They crouched down and high fived every student in their house while chanting "GRYFFINDOR! GRYFFINDOR!" which soon half the hall was chanting. When they got to the end of the table, they jumped from the table with a forward flip followed by a cartwheel.

Their team mates followed, but they ran down the aisle between Hufflepuff and Gryffindor to give high fives. They would occasionally stop for friends or siblings; Annabelle stopped and gave Ben a quick hug which caused him to blush. Everyone in both houses started cheering and the air seemed alive. When Frank got to the twin beaters, he laughed and clapped them on the shoulders, "Save the fancy tricks for the field, ya show offs."

They laughed before they found a seat in the middle of the table. The noised seemed to reach a level never before heard in the hall. Ursula couldn't believe she was part of this when she looked down the hall. While the team was careful not to get anything on their uniforms, that didn't stop the twins from telling animated stories from practice or former games.

Frank decided to share his charms skill and he walked up and down the table to charm face paint on everyone's faces. Ursula's and Sirius's faces were each pained half red and half gold. James had "I'M FOR GRYFFINDOR" written on his face with a lion that would walk around his face and occasionally roar. Peter and Remus got the Gryffindor crest covering their face, so when they closed their eyes, it looked like they belonged as a crest on Hagrid's robes. Ben got, "CAPTAIN'S LITTLE BROTHER" on his face. He didn't exactly like it, but he didn't complain because he didn't want to ruin Annabelle's last game. Elyse wanted the fanciest one so Frank got some paint and actually drew tiny versions of the Quidditch team that would fly around her face. She adored it and demanded that all of her friends take a picture after the game.

It only seemed like five minutes when it had really been close to thirty when Annabelle stood up and shouted over all the noise,

"QUIDDITCH TEAM! TO THE LOCKER ROOM, LET'S GO!"

They all stood up, their robes billowing behind them, looking like they were about to go out and conquer the world. They all had serious faces as they walked down the aisle amid the cheers and calls of encouragement. But the twins wouldn't have been themselves if they didn't do something stupid.

As the rest of the team turned the corner, they stopped and turned around. They started blowing kisses and fake sobbing their 'thanks' and they 'could have never done it without every single one of you' to the people at the end of Gryffindor table.

They would have continued to do that forever if a hand did not shoot out from around the corner, grab the back of their robes, and pull them back with the rest of the team.

* * *

><p>"And White steals the Quaffle from Quirrel!" The commentator, a seventh year Hufflepuff that none of the first years knew, shouted about half an hour into the game.<p>

The entire section of Gryffindors jumped to their feet screaming. Ben was loudly calling up to his sister, "Watch your elbows!" as she sped past them towards the Ravenclaw hoops. She was going so fast that she left a breeze that actually knocked a tiny second year over.

Elyse on the other hand jumped up and down while pulling on Ursula's arm, "Look! Tere's teh snitch!" she pointed across the field and up.

"WHITE SCORES! TEN POINTS TO GRYFFINDOR!" The commentator shouted at the same time Elyse spoke. The crowd went even more wild so to Ursula it just looked like Elyse was moving her mouth.

"WHAT?"

Elyse sighed, agitated, "I SAID, LOOK, TERE'S TEH SNITCH!"

Ursula followed her finger and to her surprise, right in front of a Hufflepuff banner there was something glittering. It blended in with the flag, the only way she saw it was because of the sun.

"Merlin, how did you find that?" Ursula asked, shocked her friend.

Elyse shrugged with a smile on her face and turned back to the game. There was a loud boo from the Ravenclaw and Slytherin stands when one of the Prewitt twins knocked one of their chasers off their broom. Thankfully, she weren't that far above the ground but it looked like a painful landing. Frank swooped in a spectacular dive and tucked the Quaffle under his arm. He zoomed past a Ravenclaw beater and around one of their chasers.

The Gryffindor's cheering was deafening as Frank flew towards the hoops to score for a second time in the last two minutes. But then the chaser he dodged the first time came from behind him and gave the bristles of his broom a good tug.

With the speed he was going at, momentum forced Frank to tumble off the front of his broom, the Quaffle forgotten. Thankfully, Gideon was right next to him so he grabbed his arm and gently lowered him to the ground while Annabelle called a time out.

The commentator was screaming explicative through the megaphone, words that caused multiple first years and Hufflepuffs to blush. McGonagall or Flitwick usually would have taken the megaphone away, but both were yelling angrily at the Ravenclaw student. McGonagall for nearly killing one of her students and Flitwick was angry because, to be honest, one of his favorite students was Frank and to see him almost seriously injured purposely by a member of his own house disgusted him.

"CALL THAT! THAT'S BLAGGING! CALL IT HOOCH!" The boys and Ursula were screaming at Madame Hooch, who seconds later, blew the whistle and awarded Gryffindor a penalty shot. While Annabelle checked Frank's arm and decided he was alright, Jacob took the shot and made it in.

"ANOTHER GOAL FOR GRYFFINDOR! THAT MAKES THE SCORE 370 TO 250, GRYFFINDOR!"

As the game went on, Gryffindor racked up more and more points while the Ravenclaws got more and more frustrated. They were starting to resort to dirty tactics. When Roberts was high above the pitch looking for the snitch, one of the Ravenclaw beaters sent a bludger her way. She noticed at the last second and thankfully got out of the way, but it was extremely close. The usually calm Ben was ready to storm the pitch and punch the lights out of a Ravenclaw chaser when the said chaser shoved his sister into one of the towers. She was fine, but she didn't fly straight for a couple of minutes. But he didn't need to worry; Gideon got back at the chaser by sending a bludger his way when he wasn't looking. It gave Ravenclaw a penalty shot but Wood saved it.

"ROBERTS HAS SIGHTED THE SNITCH!"

Everyone's attention turned towards Clara Roberts, who was diving at a spectacular speed straight towards the Hufflepuff stands. The Ravenclaw seeker was right behind her, slowly catching up to her. But once she leveled out at stand level she sped straight towards the stands, not diving all the way to the ground like the Ravenclaw seeker expected. The Hufflepuffs scrambled out of the way, petrified that they were about to be killed by what appeared to be a suicidal Gryffindor seeker. Even the other seeker gave up, pulling away about thirty feet from the stands.

Everyone watched with anticipation to see if she would crash, get the snitch, or give up. Suddenly out of nowhere, she shot straight up with her fist raised in victory.

It took everyone a moment.

When it finally sunk in, there was compete pandemonium. The screams from Gryffindor deafened everyone in the pitch as they screamed in victory. The Quidditch team practically tackled Clara from the air and they slowly fell to the ground in a huddled mass. When they untangled themselves, Annabelle looked up at the Faculty Tower.

Dumbledore held the silver Quidditch House Cup towards her. She jumped on her broom and soared straight up to him and shook his hand. He said something to her that made her laugh as she took the cup. She turned towards her house and held the trophy above her head as she flew towards them, using just her legs to guide the broom. Gideon Prewitt soared up next to her and kissed her right in front of the school to see. It wasn't the chastest of kisses either.

While his captain was distracted, Frank Longbottom and Jacob Spinnet flew up behind her and grabbed the Trophy from her.

In an act that only cocky Gryffindors would do, they tossed the trophy back and forth exactly like a Quaffle over their house stands. But then out of nowhere, everyone in the school looked over and saw Sean Wood fly over everyone to Clara with a pure look of joy and determination on his face. When he got close enough to her, he cupped her face with his hands and kissed her. The crowd wolf whistled and both of them blushed. No one could hear him, but they all read his lips as he asked,

"Will you be my girlfriend?"

Her response was to kiss him again. The entire house roared with approval and soon there was a chant of "First come love, then comes marriage, then comes a chaser in a baby carriage"

Sean laughed and shouted back at them, "He'll be a keeper!"

Clara looked mortified but then Sean leaned over on his broom and kissed her again.

James and Sirius gagged, "Too much lovey dovey stuff."

Ben, looking slightly green after seeing his sister and Gideon go at it in front of everyone, nodded in agreement, "_way_ too much lovey dovey stuff."

Ursula rolled her eyes at him and hit his arm, "Shut up, I will bet you that if you ever win the Quidditch House Cup, you'll be kissing your girlfriend for the whole school to see."

Ben rolled his eyes, "I do not want to be seen swapping spit in front of my entire house and all my teachers, thank you very much."

Elyse tried to keep a straight face, remembering a vision she had earlier that week, but it got to be too much so she turned around and burst into laughter.

Oh, Ben would soon learn the wonderful definition of irony. He would learn it well.

* * *

><p>There you go. I looked up a lot of information for this so I hope it is right. I felt that I hadn't given Quidditch enough attention throughout this story and it just fit. I hope you all enjoyed.<p>

Since this is basically the end of the year, if there is anything you would like to see happen before they leave their first year or if you have an idea for summer, feel free to leave a review or PM me. I am open to suggestions.


	22. Going Home

It was the end of the week. Gryffindor, along with winning the Quidditch Cup, had also won the House Cup. Even with all the points all the pranksters in Gryffindor lost, all the brilliant minds and winning Quidditch pushed them ahead of the other houses.

While most students were happily chatting about their summer plans, Ursula was sitting in front of the fire in the common room all by herself. She was waiting for Sirius so they could turn in their luggage together so it would be easier to find.

"Hey Ursula," James said as he walked down the stairs, "Sirius said to started heading down. Peter tripped and knocked his trunk off the bed. Everything is everywhere so he is going to be a while."

Ursula tightly smiled, "That's what the bang was earlier."

James walked over to where she was and he sat down in an adjacent armchair, "You know; I'm not as unobservant as I look."

She raised an eyebrow, "Really?"

He nodded, "You're upset about going home."

"You don't say," She scoffed at him, getting annoyed at his know it all attitude at the moment.

He either didn't pick up on her annoyance or he decided to ignore it.

"I had an interesting conversation with Sirius about three weeks ago. Found out some interesting things about you and a house elf named Mitzi."

Ursula's widened in surprise, "Mitzi is in the Hogwarts kitchen? Are you sure?" She asked. She remembered the poor little house elf that was abused beyond belief. She had just witnessed an extremely brutal beating so she decided to do something about it. She took off her dirty socks and hid them behind her. When Mitzi appeared in Bellatrix's room to offer food, Ursula took her chance. She threw her dirty socks at Bellatrix. Luck was on her and Mitzi's side that day; Bellatrix caught the socks, looked at them and when she realized what she had in her hand, she threw them at the house elf. Unbeknownst to her, even children had the power to free a house elf. Mitzi gave Ursula a hug before she disapparated out of the Lestrange manor. Bellatrix in a fit of rage practically threw Ursula into a mirror. She was only six and for about four years after that had small scars on her side until they finally faded away.

James smiled at her happily surprised face, "According to Sirius, she's perfectly healthy in the Hogwarts Kitchen."

"That's good." Ursula leaned back in the couch and got lost in her thoughts again.

James cleared his throat, "Listen, I know that your family ignores you except for Sirius. I'll owl you over the summer and if you ever need to get out of there, the floo is always open. Honestly, my mother would have no problem with you showing up in the middle of the night. She loved having you and Elyse over for Christmas because she had girls in the house. Seriously, I think that she would actually prefer you and Sirius both spend your summer at my house. I know you don't want to say anything to worry the others but I'm not stupid and I know there is something seriously wrong at your house, more so for you than Sirius."

Ursula had to physically pick up her jaw from the ground; "Wah?" was her intelligent response.

James smiled, but it wasn't a smirk. It was like the smile when she showed up at his house the day after Christmas. He stood up and put his hand on her shoulder and gave her a small hug,

"I know; I have these moments of pure non-git-ness. I don't know where it comes from, but no one is ever there to witness them. Just me and you, usually. Occasionally, Elyse or Remus. Sometimes Peter. Never Lily. Or McGonagall. Or anyone really for that matter; it sucks."

He looked wistfully into the fire and then back at her before he turned back to go upstairs.

Ursula looked at his retreating back and she could only shake her head. She highly doubted he would ever stop surprising her. She only got a moment's peace before there was a shout from up the girl's dorm staircase.

"Ursula!"

Making her way through the throngs of students saying goodbye, Ursula walked up to her dorm. But it was completely empty. She stuck her head out into the hallway and looked up. She nearly jumped a foot in the air when Annabelle's head appeared around the curve.

"There you are, come on up," She motioned with her hand for Ursula to follow. She led her all the way to the top of Gryffindor Tower; past all the dorms. Ursula thought they were never going to stop when she saw sunlight above her head. A few seconds later, Ursula looked out to the most amazing sight she had ever seen. The tower looked over the Forbidden Forest to the left and the Black Lake to the right. The mountains straight ahead were covered in flowers and lush grass and Ursula swore she saw a river running on the other side.

"This is – I don't,"

Annabelle laughed at her inability to form a proper sentence. "It's amazing, isn't it? But I didn't just bring you up here to show you this place. It's been tradition since at least I was a first year that each of the seventh year girl picks a first year and gives her a little bit of advice."

Annabelle looked out across the magnificent view of Hogwarts with a forlorn face and suddenly spun on punched the stone wall. She started pacing and Ursula wisely stayed quiet, unsure of how to talk to Annabelle when she was like this.

"Damn it, Ursula," Annabelle began with a desperate look on her face as she knelt down so she was eye level with Ursula, "you have to follow your heart. Things are going to get really bad in this world. There isn't any way for me to sugar coat this, but everything is going to be going to hell. But if you love, by Merlin, love the hell out of life then maybe things won't be so bad. God knows how long it took me to figure that out. That's my advice, get in trouble, have fun, pull pranks, fall in love. Then maybe you will be able to escape from this goddamn war unscathed. Because the war's going to happen, it's just a matter of when people are going to realize it."she asserted.

Annabelle stood up and walked back to the railing over the balcony after she finished her little speech. Thousands of thoughts and emotions seemed to running through her mind and across her face at the moment. Ursula fleetingly wondered how she was able to put on such a brave and carefree face all the time.

Ursula gathered up her courage and asked, "Are you going to be alright?"

"I'll be alright," Annabelle said softly.

Ursula, realizing that Annabelle needed to be alone for her last hours at Hogwarts nodded. She was about to start walking down the stairs when she turned around,

"Annabelle?"

Annabelle turned around and asked, "Hm?"

"I think you figured it out pretty well, for what my opinion is worth. "

She smiled sideways and said, "Thanks Black."

"No problem White."

With that she turned down the stairs and left the soon to be auror to her thoughts.

* * *

><p>It was close to ten hours later, around nine at night. Ursula and her friends were sitting with her friends in the compartment they got their first time on the train; number 7 in car 7. Elyse had pointed out the irony in that number since all seven of them became friends. The rest of the ride had been loud and boisterous, but now their energy was gone.<p>

James had fallen asleep against the wall, his glasses crooked. His mouth was open slightly and he would occasionally rock back and forth with the train. Elyse was asleep across from him, her back rested against the wall. Her legs were crossed across Remus's lap and came to rest just on top of Ben's legs. Sirius was right next to James, sitting between him and Ursula. He too was asleep, his head resting on his twin's shoulder. Remus was out cold, but it seemed to be not by choice. His book he had been reading was loosely clutched in his hands and it looked like a good jostle would knock it right out. Peter had wanted to stretch out so he decided to lie on the floor.

Ursula was resting her head on top and Sirius's and was nodding off when she heard a whisper in the dark compartment,

"Ursula, are you awake?"

She groggily opened her eyes and tried to focus on the book across from her. The moonlight was the only light in the entire compartment was the moonlight so Ben's skin looked sallow and translucent like.

"What?" She asked exhaustively.

"I can't sleep."

She groaned and sat up as much as she could without waking her brother up, "Let me get this straight; because you couldn't sleep you decided to wake me up when I was almost asleep?"

Ben laughed a little, "Exactly."

Ursula glared at him, "Twit." She practically growled.

"What are friends for?" He asked with an easy smile on his face, not really expecting an answer.

"Not this." She shot back with a smirk.

This was not the first time, nor would it be the last, that Ursula left him with no words. It was infuriating.

* * *

><p><em>So I would highly appreciate some reviews here people. Honestly, when you think people don't like your story enough to say they like it, then you think they hate it. When you think they hate it, you stop writing. When you stop writing, it sucks. So please please please please review. It will take only a couple seconds. I don't care what you say, just REVIEW<em>!


	23. Friends' Worry

It was a gorgeous day in the hills of Ireland. The long overgrown grass seemed to dance in the warm summer wind. Gorgeous flowers of vibrant yellows and pinks stole the attention away from the human eyes. There were no trees to block one's vision to the rocky shores of the Atlantic Ocean. Nothing seemed out of place. It was perfectly serene.

There was one person not calm though. A small red headed girl was sitting on her roof, awaiting something that usually wasn't seem flying around Ireland during the day; an owl. You see, this girl was not an ordinary little girl. It wasn't her physical appearance that set her apart from all the children in the nearby village, even though her bright red hair and pale green eyes were unique, she was a witch.

Seeing as she was a muggle born witch and all her friends were purebloods or halfbloods, she had to depend on them to send her a letter by owl to communicate (all but Remus didn't have phones) but she had yet to hear from two of her dearest friends Ursula and Sirius Black. After a month from not hearing from them, she called Remus and asked to borrow his owl. While on the phone she asked if he had gotten any letter for them.

He hadn't.

The owl showed up three days later and Elyse quickly wrote three letters to her other close friends. She had sent the letters off about two days ago so their responses where due any moment.

She hear a window open,

"Elyse, yeh herd from yeh's friends yet?" her mom shouted up from the second floor.

"No!" She shouted back.

"Dinnah's 'n twenty minutes so yeh 'ave teh come 'n soon." She mother warned her before she closed the window up again.

Five minutes later Flick, Remus's owl, swooped over her head, dropping three letters onto her lap. Elyse frantically tore open Peter's letter first.

_-Elyse,_

_I haven't heard from either of them. My mom said that she heard Mr. Black was missing from the ministry for a while so maybe they went on vacation?_

_Sorry I couldn't help more._

_~Peter_

Ben's letter expressed much more concern. His said basically the same thing even though it was much longer. He said that he hadn't heard from either of them and that their father had been missing from the ministry. Ben's dad, the soon to be Minister of Magic, was going to talk to some colleagues in the morning to see if the Blacks had gone on vacation or their owl got sick or something along those lines. He asked to be updated on the situation, but other than that, he said nothing else.

James was the one that gave Elyse the most information.

_Elyse,_

_You haven't heard from them either? I have to admit I used some accidental magic and almost burned your letter to a crisp when I finished it. I'm just as worried as you are. They both promised to write me and when they didn't after the first week of summer, I sent them letters. All of them came back unopened. Their parents did something to them, I know it! They are twisted people that seriously need to learn the definition of love. Honestly, I've met their mother before and she makes a dragon look nice. The worst part is that we can't go get them. Their father put enchantments on their house so no one knows where it is. They could be my neighbors for all I know and I would never see them. My dad said he is going to try to get in touch with some of his 'connections' (whoever the heck they are) and try to find out if Ursula and Sirius are okay. _

_If you hear anything, I want you to owl me immediately before everyone else, got it?_

_-James_

_P.S. I heard about your vision problem and I was just wondering if you were near sighted or far sighted because if you are near sighted, then maybe you should try to put one some 'glasses' to see if there is a problem with 'the glasses'_

Elyse face palmed herself; how could she be so stupid?

One month later, and no letters or updates received from either Black siblings, the group of now second year Gryffindors went to the same compartment as last year. Remus got there first. His mother had ordered him to tell her how the missing kids were before he got on the train. When he got home for summer break and he was able to tell his parents more about his new friends, they were more than ecstatic when they heard about them. They could have never wished for better friends for their son; they had even over looked Ursula's and Sirius's dark family history and were now concerned for both of them.

The other three jumped into the compartment about a minute before the train left.

"Any sign of them?" Remus asked, putting the book he was reading down.

James shook his head, worry etched on his features, "We stayed as long as we could on the platform and we didn't see either of them, or their little brother."

"Do you think their parents transferred them out or something?" Remus asked, realizing that was a very real possibility.

Ben scoffed, "Blacks not at Hogwarts? I think there were Blacks in the first class ever to graduate here; there's no way their parents would send them to another school."

"It would be like a Potter in Slytherin; it just doesn't happen," James explained as he sat down.

Remus raised an eyebrow, "I'm sure they thought the same thing about not just one but two Blacks in Gryffindor."

James tried not to show it, but Elyse saw the flash of worry in his eyes. It didn't stay for very long, but it was still there. He cleared his throat and looked at Elyse. "Did you get what I meant in the letter? I didn't want to write where anyone could intercept the letter and find out about your gift."

"I goot it," Elyse confirmed, "Boot I got notin. Just some stuff in a couple of years from now, sorry."

James shrugged but you could tell he was disappointed, "It's okay."

"So what do we do?" Peter asked his friends. "What if something did happen and no one realizes anything?"

"If they were running late and got on the wrong car or something they will be here in a bit but if they don't show up by the sorting feast, then we tell McGonagall." Ben decided.

Everyone agreeing that was a good plan, they settled into their compartment, worry still laced in all their thoughts. These were dark times and they went straight into the abyss so there's no telling what could have happened to them.

"Damn it Sirius that was my leg!" They heard an annoyed Ursula shout at her brother from a little bit away. Everyone physically relaxed; they were okay. James smiled cockily and crossed his arms, "What do you know, they sound just fine."

"Yup, now you can yell at them all you want without feeling guilty" Remus agreed with a laugh, knowing that James was much more worried than he let on and he was going to go 'mother' on them.

Peter chuckled, "Think we should help them?"

They looked at each other and at the same time said, "Nah," and burst out laughing.

They didn't notice the compartment door slid open or the look of horror on Ben's and Elyse's faces.

"What's wrong Ben?" James asked slightly angled away from the door.

He didn't answer so James turned slightly on his seat and when he did his hazel eyes widened dramatically,

"HOLY SHIT!"

* * *

><p>So this chapter is a little shorter than the others, but I just wanted to get another chapter out before the weekend was over. I would appreciate your thoughts on this because while I do have something big planned for this year, I would love ideas or opinions.<p>

I know that I didn't even really mention anything over the summer break for them. If you would like, I would be willing to write a one shot about one of their summer breaks (Just not the Blacks, you will find out why later). If you want to read that, please leave a review or private message me about which character you want to know about and any plot ideas if you have any. I don't need a complete plot, just an idea. I promise I will try to take care of the rest.

It would be wonderful to hear from the readers considering no one has left a review for the last four chapters. Honestly people, just give me something to stay motivated. The motivation has been slowly dying the last couple days and it really sucks because I love writing this story and I want to keep doing it. I will try, but the reviews help me write faster so then I can get more chapters or more one shots up.

So review

the button is right there

it will only take a few seconds

or maybe a minute if you want to make my day

either one is perfectly fine for me (I would prefer the longer one, but I'll take what I can get)


	24. Mixed Ideas

This story has gotten over a thousand hits and I am so excited! Honestly, I was so shocked when I saw that number I thought that it had to be a mistake. But I was proven wrong and it is such a great feeling. Now if we could only get some more reviews...

This chapter picks up right where the last one ended so there is not real time change. I know I hate it when an author leave it as a cliff hanger, so I decided to update sooner than I planned on. I hope you enjoy!

* * *

><p>"Sirius…Ursula…what happened?" Peter asked horrified. He appeared to be the only one with a voice as the others just stared at the twins standing in the compartment doorway.<p>

There was a sickening bruise right on Ursula's cheekbone, the dark purple standing out on her pale white skin. The bruise spread from just under her eye to her ear and down to just below her cheekbone. Her lip was slightly swollen and there was a small cut on the right side. She was standing lopsided, trying to put any pressure on her left foot.

Sirius was in a slightly better condition. The only mark any of them could see on him was what looked like a welt or a horrible blister on the right side of his neck. He was trying to hide it with his hair but it reached to just underneath him chin.

"What's do you mean?" Ursula asked as she limped farther into the compartment. Sirius moved stiffly in after her, anger clouding his eyes.

The whole compartment jumped up and helped them put their stuff away and sit down. James started to run his fingers through his hair in an agitated way,

"We were worried about this." He muttered to himself before he turned back to his friends, "Now you better tell me what happened or-"

"Or what James? What could you possibly do to make this better?" Ursula snapped at him.

James sighed, his anger seeming to deflate from his body, "I know, I know." He patted Sirius on the shoulder but immediately stopped when Sirius flinched slightly. James jumped back as if he'd been burned.

"Sweet Merlin's tentacle tarts, do you guys need to see a healer or something?" James asked, horrified that they were so hurt.

They shook their heads.

"It may be shocking, but we're fine." Ursula said.

James looked like he wanted to say something. He opened his mouths a couple times and started to move his hands in a violent fashion but settled on squeezing his fists tightly together so much so that his knuckles turned white.

"I'm going to go hex Snape. I'll be back." He said before he stormed out of the compartment, his wand clutched tightly in his hands.

Remus slowly took his wand out his pocket, "I know some healing spells. Would you like me to heal you?"

"We trust you. Knock your socks off."

Remus did his best to heal the wounds that were visible. Sirius did take off his jumper and when he was just left in his undershirt, the hand shaped bruises on his arms explained his reaction to James's touch earlier. While Remus did take away a lot of the pain, he wasn't able to take away the marks.

"That's the best I could do, sorry," Remus apologized.

The twins assured him that they felt better from his spells and complimented him on the complexity of some of them. He just grimly smiled at them, worry still in his eyes. The rest of the ride was full of pleasant laughter and jokes. They discussed what they wanted to do for the new first years, knowing that they had to do something else after their display after last year.

"Speaking of first years," James began – he had slipped back into the compartment with a devilish grin on his face not too long ago – "what house do you think your brother's going into."

"Slytherin."

"Gryffindor."

They said at the same time. The twins turned to look at each other in shock.

"How the heck can you think he is going to end up in Gryffindor after his little display this summer!" Sirius practically shouted at his sister.

Ursula glared at him harshly and the rest of the compartment knew that Sirius had mentioned something unmentionable, "How dare you mention that! Just because he bloody terrified of our parents means nothing! He'll be at Hogwarts where we can protect him."

"Stop with this whole protection thing! It's not your job to protect him all the time! He's changed since last year!" Sirius shouted back at her.

"Because we weren't there every day! They were able to fill his mind with nonsense while we were at Hogwarts." She argued back.

"He's always been like this; open your eyes! He's just like everyone else in our family; he has no backbone! I thought that two days ago showed you that!" Sirius shouted at her, mentioning this event that the rest of them had no knowledge about.

Both of them looked like they were ready to breathe fire at each other. Nervously and quietly Elyse asked,

"Woot 'appened two days ago?"

"Nothing." The twins said at the same time.

James, deciding that this was no time to have the twins fighting, interjected, "Let's forget about him and whatever happened. Now, what are we going to do to these little first years?"

After arriving on the carriages, they settled down at the Gryffindor table. Things were still slightly tense between the Blacks, but at least they weren't shouting at each other anymore.

"Will they hurry up, I want to eat." James grumbled as he played with the plate in front of him by spinning it around in circles.

They didn't have to wait long; McGonagall opened the front doors and walked into the Great Hall leading a terrified group of first years. Ursula quickly scanned them to look for her little brother. Regulus was standing towards the edge trying to look calm, but Ursula could see him nervously tapping his fingers against his leg. There were only two kids sorted, two Ravenclaws, before his name was called.

"Black, Regulus."

The entire Gryffindor table turned to look at their own Blacks. The hall was silent as the hat mumbled to himself, trying to decide the fate of the youngest Black. Would he go to Slytherin like the rest of his family, or would he join his older brother and sister in Gryffindor? Or, some thought, would he join another house altogether?

Ursula had her fingers crossed under the table was nervously bouncing her leg until Ben gently place his hand on her leg to stop the shaking. He gave her a reassuring smile before turning back to the boy on the stool. Ursula looked over at Sirius and she would swear she saw him whispering, "Gryffindor, Gryffindor," under his breath over and over again.

"SLYTHERIN!" The hat finally shouted.

Sirius swore under his breath and ran his hands over his face while James placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. Ursula felt her heart break as he looked over at her as he walked over to the cheering table with a look that could only be seen as, "Sorry"

Ursula could only give a weak smile back as if to say, "It's okay."

The rest of the sorting went uneventfully. Gryffindor gained eight more girls, the largest group in years, and nine more guys. The other houses also gained a fair amount of students. Once everyone was settled, James leaned forward,

"Remember the spell I taught you on the train?" He whispered.

When they all nodded he continued, "You all know the plan, on the count of three. One…two…three!"

They all said the spell as quietly as they could and they were thankful that it was a transfiguration spell so there was no trace of light back to them. All of a sudden, all the first year's food was no longer food. At the Ravenclaw table, small little blue eagles were cawing from the plate. Little badgers started scurrying around the Hufflepuff table. Little lion cubs were jumping all over the first years and snakes were slipping off the table and trying to climb their way back up via the first year's legs.

To say they were freaked out was a slightly understatement. Apparently, most of the first year Slytherins were terrified of the small snakes while the Ravenclaws looked horrified at them birds. The only tables having fun with it were Hufflepuff and Gryffindor.

The Hufflepuffs had gathered all the badgers together and they were gently petting them and giving them little bits of extra food.

The Gryffindors on the other hands started trying to race the little lions up and down the tables.

Amidst the laughter (and some Slytherin tears) McGonagall stood up and with a wave of her wand, all the miniature animals turned back into food. Some of the students were disheartened by it but the majority practically sagged with relief.

"Whoever is responsible for this-" She trailed off threateningly, her gaze ending up a certain group of second year Gryffindors. They smiled innocently at her but that only seemed to annoy her further. What she would have done to them, no one knows because Dumbledore spoke up,

"Is awarded fifteen points each for a wonderful show an animal transfiguration, don't you agree Professor McGonagall?"

"Of course headmaster." The look on her face said anything but that would have happened.

James high-fived all his friends, not expecting for them to win their house 105 points before classes even started. Now they could lose all those points without feeling guilty later.

When they walked into the common room, they were all bolstered up from their head start against the other houses. Sirius and Ursula still seemed a little down, but they were at least speaking to each other without yelling now.

"-was ruddy brilliant!" Peter exclaimed after James explained the concept behind the spell his father taught him over break.

His outburst brought the attention of two girls sitting on the sofa. When Lily was James she stormed over and hit him in the chest with the book in her hands,

"YOU JERK! Why did you hex Sev? He did nothing to you!"

James raised an eyebrow, "He hexed me last year Lily. What do you expect me to do?"

"Not act like a bloody four year old!" She exclaimed.

She happened to look over at Ursula and her eyes widened when she was the bruise on her face. With James forgotten, she ran over to her,

"Ursula! What happened? Are you okay?"

Ursula smiled tightly, "It was just a flying accident. It doesn't hurt anymore, I swear."

"Come one, I have some bruise lotion that Slughorn let me keep from last year. Maybe we can get it to fade." She gently grabbed Ursula's wrist and dragged her up the stairs. Elyse followed her with a quick goodbye to the boys.

Later that night, almost all the boys were asleep, exhausted from all the festivities and a particularly intense game of Exploding Snaps. Sirius was just about to dose off when he heard from the bed next to him,

"Sirius? You awake?"

"Yeah. What do you want James?" He asked.

There was a slight pause.

"It wasn't a flying accident was it?" James asked softly, concern filling his voice.

Sirius clenched his sheets tightly in his hand.

"No, no it wasn't."

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><p>So there is it. I know that I haven't really answered what happened to them, but fear not readers! All your questions will be answered soon!<p>

On a completely separate note, I noticed that while the last few chapter had over twenty views, chapter 19 only had nine! I don't know why people skipped over that chapter but I if you skipped it, go back and read it. Yes it has a lot of music in it, but it is a pretty quick chapter and I think that is quite relevant to the story. Plus, you don't need to know anything about music to understand it; just give it a chance.

Please leave a review! It makes me write faster!


	25. The Broom Accident

I am so sorry! I know that I told some people that I would update soon and put up another one shot and then have another chapter up and I feel so bad that never happened. School got really hectic and when I was writing the one shot that was suggested by Aimee but it felt so forced and wrong that I decided to cut it. That suggestion has however spawned an idea that will be used later. As far as one-shots go, everyone reading this should check out the two I have written and posted. They are titled "**She's my Hero**" and "**Unstoppable**". I would appreciate it if you would go check those out.

I would like to take a moment to thank the wonderful people that reviewed the last few chapters. I went to a church benefit dinner after I posted the last chapter and there were only 17 reviews. I got back and there were 23! I went into review shock for a good five minutes before smiling like a fool of another ten. It made my day so I am taking the time to thank DobbysArmy (The wonderful reviewer who has been with this since the beginning),HBIC Never Again ( who I have already apologized to for leaving the cliffhanger in chapter 23), to Aimee (for reviewing for the first time, I thank you), Lauren (thank you for the small little reviews for all the chapters you liked- not just the last one), and last but not least Laveycee ( for making me laugh with #2 in your list). You are all wonderful and I thank you.

And with that out of the way, I now present to you, the fifteenth chapter of A Black and White Story.

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><p>The next morning the group of second year Gryffindors was sitting in the Defense Against the Dark Arts room after breakfast. The room felt differently than how she remembered it. Professor Hesleden had multiple posters and pictures from his adventures as a younger man and he would always have the room well lit. Now it was dark and the stone walls were barren.<p>

Ursula leaned over to Peter, her desk partner, and whispered, "Where's all of Hesle's stuff?" She questioned.

Peter gave her an incredulous look, "You don't know?"

She shook his head and Peter looked at her like she was insane, "Wow, you must have lived under a rock this summer. He was found at his house completely mauled to death. The muggle newspapers reported it as a wild animal attack but my mom told me that the ministry determined that it was a werewolf."

Ursula's eyes widened, "Sweet Merlin, he was just thirty wasn't he? Not that long of a life." She muttered the last part to herself before asking Peter, "Who's going to replace him?"

Just then the door at the top of the stairs in the front of the room flew open and hit the stone with a loud bang. A harsh looking man stood at the landing. His hair was now graying on the sides and thinning; one could tell it used to be a dark brown and quite thick. His eyes were cold and calculating as he stared down the class. He started to walk down the stairs and while doing so, he began to talk,

"Hello, students. I am Professor Avery. In this class, there will only be serious study. I expect each and every one of you to receive a passing grade on your end of the year exam, but considering the contents of this class," he paused and examined them with calculating eyes, "let's just say I am doubtful."

James gently nudged Sirius with his arm, "What an ass."

Sirius rolled his eyes as if to say, 'tell me about it.'

"I will call each of your names for roll call. I expect a clear response from everyone, no mumbling like a bunch of children." He was now at the desk and he pulled out a piece of parchment and a quill.

"Let's see who's first…ah! Starting off right aren't we? Black, Sirius?"

"Currently in attendance."

Avery's face turned from one to happiness to one of extreme annoyance in less than a second. Then when he looked around the room, he suddenly looked extremely confused.

"Wait a minute, Black? I thought I had Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors this period. Are there some Slytherins in here too?" He was muttering to himself, but Ursula decided to answer,

"No sir, both my brother and I are in Gryffindor." Her voice cut through the roof, clear as crystal with no hesitation.

He froze; his hands still picking up some papers. He paused a moment and looked up at the class. His eyes immediately found Ursula's and right behind her seat, Sirius's matching eyes.

"Surely you must jest, Blacks have been in Slytherin for the last –"

"We don't really like tradition," Sirius said lazily as he leaned back in his chair.

The professor didn't seem to know what to say to him, but he looked down right angry at both of them. "Four legs on the ground Black." He snapped.

And thus began the worst DADA class in Hogwarts's history.

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><p>It was an hour later when Sirius stormed out of the classroom and punched the wall right across from the door. Ursula was right on his heels and instead of punching; she threw her book at the wall and proceeded to kick it down the hallway. Professor Avery had spent to whole class making snide comments to everyone, especially Ursula and Sirius. His favorite topic seemed to be asking where her bruises came from.<p>

She tersely told him that it was a flying accident. He muttered softly that it was quite odd that she had no cuts or scratches from a fall; just bruises. She had half a mind to get up and clock him right in the jaw or at least throw something at him, something heavy…like a Defense book… Peter saw her anger and he put a calming hand on top of her hand while whispering, "Don't give him an excuse."

That had been the only thing that kept her in her seat in class but now that she was free from the confines of those walls, she verbally let loose. When she finished her cussing, Elyse and Remus were both blushing while James started to applaud her.

"Honestly my dear Ursula, I couldn't have said it better myself." He complimented her with a small tip of the head.

There was a chime from the clock tower Ben just barely heard. It took him a moment to realize that that meant that they had only four minutes to get to Transfiguration; a class on the other side of the castle. He turned on his heels and started to quickly walk towards their next class. Over his shoulder he shouted at the goofing off Gryffindors who were trying to one up each other with insults towards their new DADA teacher,

"Guys, class starts in four minutes!" He disappeared around the corner before they realized what he said. They looked at each other with wide eyes; grey meeting hazel meeting more grey meeting sky blue meeting chocolate brown meeting pastel green. All at once they began scrambling after him.

"Ben! Slow down!" Ursula shouted down the hallway.

The red-headed boy turned around and smiled and waited for her to catch up with him. Just behind her, the others that had shared a compartment on the train.

"Why the hell do you walk so fast?" Sirius asked as he practically jogged to catch to his sister.

Sirius wrapped his arm around her shoulders when he got close enough, a small limp in his step, and all seven made their way down the hallway.

They got into the classroom just before the bell rang. James pumped his fist in the air in victory and took his usual spot in the front of the room.

"Why, hello dear Minnie, how are you this wonderful morning?" James questioned the stern woman with an easy smile on his face.

She gave him a no nonsense look, "Mr. Potter, you almost show up late to my class and now you are causing distractions. Please keep your comments to yourself, if you do not remember that rule from last year." She added, giving him a look.

He smiled innocently at her, "But Minnie, I just love your class so much. How could I ever be silent?" He asked.

That was true. In most of his other classes James would take the seat farthest in the back or the one most off to the side. But in Transfiguration, even when there were empty seats, he would go straight to the front and sit down, Elyse sitting beside him to his left. At the table to his right would be Ursula and then Sirius. Remus, Peter, and Ben had taken the three seat desk next to the Blacks and claimed it as their own. They would actually pay attention in that class; other students found it odd that they actually tried in this class.

Minerva just raised an eyebrow, "I can see that Mr. Potter, considering your seat choice. And it is Professor McGonagall to you James."

"Can I call you Minnie?" Sirius piped up from his sear.

The majority of the class groaned. They had had to put up with this last year too and most of them were getting quite annoyed with it. If James and Sirius would just shut their mouths once in a while…

McGonagall was about to yell at him, at least; it appeared that way. But the second she saw him, the burn mark right underneath his chin, she froze. Her face froze for just a moment and then when her eyes quickly glanced over at Ursula, her eye twitched a tiny bit. She cleared her throat and regained her composure.

"Mr. Black, please keep your cheek to yourself. Today's lesson is going to be a quick review of everything we learned last year. If you would open your books to chapter one, read and take notes on the first four sections. If you finish, continue on."

McGonagall turned and went to sit at her desk. Soon, sounds of papers being shuffled and moved filled the air, followed by books being heavily dropped onto the tops of the desks. Within five minutes however, the room was silent. The only exception was when someone obnoxiously turned their page or someone swore under their breath when their ink blotted on the paper.

Ursula had no problem with the first four sections and went through the rest of the seven into sections and went into the second chapter. She did not just have a good memory, her only safe haven had been studying transfiguration over the summer; the only escape in her house.

She looked at the rest of her friends and she found them in a wide range of business. James was playing with a string and turning it into a bunch of different things; an apple, a quill, a book, even a shoe appeared on his desk. Sirius had decided to take a nap next to her. Remus and Ben were in a whispered debate about the affects transfiguration has on food and if it would taste the same after it was changed into something and then back. Poor Peter looked lost and Elyse was trying to explain to him what was going on. Just as Ursula looked at them, Peter had apparently given up and let his head drop to the desk with a loud thunk. She had to stifle a giggle when Sirius opened his bleary eyes and muttered something unintelligent.

Realizing that the bell was about to ring in about five minutes she shook his shoulder, still careful about his upper arms. He groaned about something along the lines of "Five more minutes" but in the end, Ursula won and Sirius was sitting up straight in his chair.

"Your homework for the night is to finish chapter one and to be prepared to go over the actual spell work from last year. I suggest brushing up on some of your wand skills," She said giving a few select students a look. She then sat back down at her desk.

The second years started packing up their stuff when McGonagall spoke again, "Black – both of you – stay after class."

The twins gave each other a terrified look, their eyes telling the story that only they, their parents, and their little brother knew…

_It was a gorgeous day on August 30__th__, 1972. The sky was blue and there was a cool breeze that saved everyone from the burning sun. Small children flocked to the park across the way of Number 12 Grimmauld Place; their laughter wafting up to Ursula's closed windows. She sighed and wished that her parents would let her out, but she was now a blood traitor, a shame to the family, a black sheep if you would. All because she got sorted into Gryffindor._

"_URSULA! DINNER!" Her mother's voice barked from the kitchen. Ursula groaned and buttoned up her robes before making her way down for family dinner._

_Sirius met her right outside his door, grumbling all the same. He had been having a bad day. James's owl had almost gotten into the house, a letter tied to its leg, but Kreacher saw it and warned his mistress about it right away and she shot a hex at the poor, defenseless animal. For Sirius his friends and his sanity were so close, yet so far._

"_Ready for some hell?" Sirius asked her._

_She looked at him confused. He smirked and lifted the hem of his robes. Instantly Ursula realized the reason for his mischievous smile; he was wearing the muggle close he got for his birthday under his robes._

_Ursula rolled her eyes, "Hate to break it to you, brother, but you're still just chasing after me." She lifted the hem of her robes a bit and showed him the muggle jeans that Elyse gave her. _

_He laughed and ruffled her hair as he walked past, "Oh Sissy, must you always upstage me?" He questioned in a joking manner._

_She ran after him with a laugh and messed up his hair, "Sirius, you aren't even on the stage."_

_He rolled his eyes as he tried to fix his hair, "Where am I then?" he countered._

"_The audience," she quipped._

_He laughed and gently pushed her. They continued this behavior until they got to the kitchen. Walburga was already sitting at the head of the table, Orion sitting across from her. She gave them a sharp look and then at their chairs._

_The twins began walking, not wanting to anger her. They had made it through the summer so far, the only pain they experienced was not being able to see their friends. They weren't going to mess it up so close to the end._

_But in the way that it always seems to work out for the twins, Sirius tripped on the hem of his too long robes and tumbled to the ground, failing his arms to grab onto anything. He grabbed Ursula's arm and since she wasn't expecting it, she too lost balance and they both fell. They landed in a tangled mass on the ground._

_They heard chairs scraping the floor and Ursula saw her father help Sirius stand. Her dad was brushing some of the dirt off of Sirius's robes when suddenly her mother's cold voice cut through the kitchen._

"_What. Is. Under. Your. Robes?" She asked in a deadly and clipped tone._

_Ursula closed her eyes in realization and defeat; of course her mother would get there just in time to see her muggle clothes._

"_They are clothes, mother." She said softly, trying to pacify her mom as she stood up._

"_Don't you lie to me! You got those clothes from your little mudblood friend," she practically hissed._

_Ursula opened her eyes and glared at her, "Don't talk about Elyse like that!"_

_Out of seemingly nowhere, a cane appeared in Walburga's hand. It disappeared in the air as it sung towards her and she yelped in pain when it hit her side. She fell to the ground in shock, grabbing her side in pain._

"_You talk as if your filthy muggle friend is equal to you! You want to be equal to THAT then you'll b e treated like one!" The cane that Ursula now recognized as her father's cane swung towards her again. She tried to scoot back on the ground, but her legs didn't get out of the way fast enough and the heavy cane hit the side of her knee._

_Sirius was livid. He had promised himself to not let Ursula get hurt for anything he did again and he was NOT going to let her be beaten like a dog in front of him. He charged at his mother but his father grabbed his upper arms._

"_LET ME GO!" Sirius shouted over his twin's shouts and cries. He twisted and turned every way to try to get out of his father's surprisingly tight grasp. He kicked and tried to elbow him, but Orion held firm and incapacitated his oldest son._

_Ursula had been trying to avoid the swings of the cane, but her mother had backed her into a corner of the kitchen. She realized that she was trapped so she folded her knees up to her chest and covered her face with her forearms; basically in the fetal position. Every time the cane came down, there was a loud sound that Ursula would never be able to describe. Her mother's shouts and Sirius's shouts and her cries mixed together, making each one indistinguishable._

"_STOP IT! STOP!" She begged her mom._

_Her pleas fell on deaf ears and she knew that. _

_Sirius had also realized that he was stuck and that there was nothing he could do to get out of his father's grip so he started screaming at his little brother,_

"_REGULUS HELP HER! DAMN IT, GET UP AND HELP YOUR BLOODY SISTER!"_

_Regulus, the youngest in the room, was still sitting in his chair. His eyes were wide and terrified as he took in the scene before him. Sirius was red in the face yelling at him to help Ursula. His father was fighting with Sirius to keep him still. His mother would swing the cane back and send it soaring towards his sister in a deadly accurate path._

_His sister._

_She was cowering on the ground, curled up in the fetal position as she begged her mother to stop beating her. Ursula had protected him (and Sirius too, thinking about it) from so much; never asking for anything back. But now she was the one in need and he didn't know what to do. Tears streaked down his face as her screams got louder. The pounding in his head increased as the shouting blended together._

"_YOU LITTLE UNGRATEFUL LITTLE MUDBLOOD LOVER!"_

"_STOP IT! STOP IT MOM! MOM, PLEASE STOP!"_

"_DO SOMETHING!"_

_So Regulus did something._

_He ran._

_Sirius's angry shouts at him carried all the way up to his room where we went to hide. He jumped into his bed and pulled all the pillows over his head, trying to get the screaming to stop._

_Back downstairs at that time, Ursula realized that there was only one person that could help her._

"_DAD! DADDY, PLEASE! MAKE HER STOP DADDY!"_

_She snuck a look through her arms and looked into his eyes. Something in his snapped and he threw Sirius to the side, sending him soaring towards the cooking area of the kitchen. The way he was shoved, his shoulder hit painfully against the front of the oven bottom stove and his ankle twisted in an odd, unnatural way. But that wasn't the worst of it. There was a still hot sauce pan, whose edge just hit Sirius's neck. He screamed in pain and fell to the ground, holding his neck. The pain was indescribable as he lay practically convulsing on the floor. _

"_SIRIUS!" Ursula shouted in fear._

_The last thing she saw was the cane flying towards her; right towards her face. _

_Then everything went black._

"Black, please come up to my desk," McGonagall's voice broke them out of the memory. They shared one last look with each other before they stood and stiffly walked towards the head of their house.

She looked at the pair with appraising eyes. The twins were sure that they were going to get lectured but they were shocked when McGonagall lead them towards her office and even offered them a cookie before she began talking to them.

McGonagall looked at the two twelve year old children in front of her, who both were munching on the sweets she had given them. The bruise on Ursula's face had faded because of Lily's cream, but since she was so pale from spending the summer in side, it was still visible. The same was said for Sirius's burn marks.

"Would either of you like to explain why you showed up to school with those injuries?"

They were silent until Ursula spoke up, "It was a flying accident."

McGonagall raised an eyebrow in disbelief, "Excuse me, Miss Black, but I was not aware broom accidents left burn marks on students nowadays."

They were silent.

Minerva sighed and regarded the twins for a moment. She pushed away from her desk and walked around to be right in front of them.

"I must admit that I was just as shocked as you were when I got not one but two Blacks in my house. I will not claim to understand your home situation, but I will say this," her tone was gentle and very motherly, "what I said at the beginning of last year is true; all the Houses are families with Gryffindor being one of the closest ones. If you two need anything at all, something as simple as a snack and someone to talk to, I am here for all my students. I want you both to be aware of that."

It was enough to say that the Blacks were shocked silent. McGonagall had always seemed so strict and here she was basically offering them anything they needed. The twins, not used to this behavior, sat awkwardly for a couple of moments.

Minerva sighed sadly; they looked so confused at being offered help and support. It was almost like they didn't know what it was. Deciding to save them from the awkward moment, she released them,

"I think your friends have been waiting for you for a sufficient amount of time," she trailed off.

Her intentions were clear as Sirius bade a hasty farewell and ran from the room to the safety of his friends' care. Ursula was more hesitant as she stood up from the plush chair. McGonagall looked at her, wondering why the girl was still standing there.

"Professor? Can I ask you something?" Ursula asked softly.

"What is it child?" McGonagall asked, going to the girl's side and rested a hand gently on her shoulder.

Ursula cleared her throat and looked at the door her brother just ran out of, "Am I being stupid?"

No explanation was needed. McGonagall didn't even know that she could completely understood the situation or the event that resulted in the Blacks' injuries, but Minerva thought to her two younger brothers and everything she had done for them.

"No, no you're not."

Ursula looked up at her with a slightly watery smile, "Thank you professor."

With that the small girl walked out of the room, leaving her favorite teacher behind. When the door closed, McGonagall was still standing in the same spot looking at the door she just exited through. A stab of pity hit her in the heart when she saw Ursula limping slightly, favoring her left leg, but then she swelled with pride thinking about having such true and pure person to claim as one of her own; a true Gryffindor.

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><p>So there you have it; what happened to Sirius and Ursula. This was going to be in the next chapter but I decided that you all deserved it after I practically abandoned you all this week.<p>

Did you catch the vision? I wasn't planning on using it, but I rereading the story and I thought it fit perfectly right there.

Please tell me what you think of this chapter! A lot of stuff happened/was revealed in this chapter and I would love to hear your thoughts about them.


	26. Regulus

That you to everyone that has reviewed! I appreciate everyone's thoughts and I would love to hear more. Don't feel shy! I hope that everyone is enjoying this story so far. This year is going to focus a little but more on the girls and Remus. The part about Remus is obvious, but I think I've added my own little twist to it while keeping it cannon. Hopefully, I will get to that soon. With Easter coming up, I have a mini spring break so I will have a lot of time to write in the upcoming week.

I hope you enjoy the newest update of A Black and White Story.

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><p>Before anyone realized it, it was the end of the week. The the realization finally hit Ursula, it was at dinner on Friday night. She was just sitting with her friends and Elyse made a comment saying how glad she was they got to sleep in the next morning. Ursula almost spit out her pumpkin juice and started choking. Peter hit her on the back as she tried to dislodge the juice from her lungs.<p>

"Drink much? What's wrong Sissy?" Sirius asked her, laughing softly at her apparent inability to swallow a drink properly.

She finally caught her breath, "It's Friday and we haven't even talked to Regulus yet!"

His look turned from jovial to soar in an instant. His eyes darkened and he looked down right pissed, "Why would you want to talk to that little snake?"

She gave him an incredulous look, "He's our brother, no matter what badge is on his robes."

"I have to side with Sirius on this one Ursula," James piped up from across the table. "You can't protect him anymore; he's too far in."

"You don't know anything James," Ursula snapped at him.

He raised his eyebrows in an infuriating, cocky manner, "I don't know anything? My dear Ursula I happen to know that he ran away crying while your mother beat you with a cane. I think that constitutes as something." He leaned back with his arms cross his chest, his smile clearly saying 'I won this'.

The silence was deafening. Elyse's mouth had dropped open in shock, a small gasp emitting from her lips. Remus and Peter had paled considerably. Ben's face was turning red in anger as he tried to keep his thoughts to himself, knowing it would just upset Ursula further. But that was nothing compared to the Blacks' reaction.

Sirius had paled, all the blood draining from his face. At that moment, he fought the urge to hit his head against the table multiple times. He didn't exactly mean to tell James what happened but they were talking one day after class and it was just the two of them and it just…well, it slipped. James had said that he wouldn't say anything but here he was; spitting it out for everyone to know.

Ursula looked at the two boys murderously. She closed her eyes and counted to ten to prevent herself from killing her brother and friend. It was bad enough that Sirius and Regulus saw what happened, but now to have her friends know that she broke down and begged her mother for mercy; that she wasn't strong enough.

"James," she began in a deadly soft voice that sent chills down his spin, "I hate you. Same goes for you Sirius."

She loudly slammed her hands on the table and forced herself up. She stepped over the bench and practically sprinted from the Great Hall. She slowed to a walk when she was sure that she wasn't being followed by any of her nosy, holier-than-thou friends. Anger coursed through her when she thought of James. Yes, he was a pureblood but his mother loved him- no she bloody _adored_ him. He could ask for the world and she would get it for him. His father was always one for a joke and was so laid back, he was practically upside down. Her mother beat her with a cane while her father stopped her brother protecting her. The stupid prat had no right to say anything about that. The bigger prat had no right to tell the other prat anything.

"Ursula, are you okay?"

Lily's voice broke Ursula out of her angry rant in her head. She spun around and looked at her roommate. A brilliant stroke of genius hit Ursula and she smiled,

"I'm great right now. I was just wondering, you're still friends with Sniv-Snape right?"

Lily's eyes narrowed at her almost slip but she nodded hesitantly, "Yes, why?"

"I want to go talk to my brother so I was wondering if you would fancy a trip to the snake pit with your friend."

Lily raised her eyebrows but her lips started to twitch into a smile, "Am I hearing this right? Slytherin hater and Gryffindor rebel willingly wanting to go to the Slytherin common room?"

Realizing the absurdity of it all, Ursula laughed and nodded. She looped her arm with Lily and dragged her down the hallway. Deciding to check the Great Hall first since dinner had barely ended, Ursula purposely walked past her friends without even acknowledging them. Sirius went to reach out to grab her, but Remus grabbed his arm and held him back. He knew that if Sirius tried anything that would just result in a bigger fight than earlier.

Ursula was able to pick out Regulus. He was sitting slightly off to the side but he was right near Snape and few others that Ursula wished would fail out of school.

"Regulus," she said to get his attention.

His head snapped up and his eyes widened when he saw her. They widened even more when she sat down at the table right across from him.

"Ursula…" he said in a shocked greeting, "What are you doing here?"

She raised an eyebrow, "I came to see my little brother after his first week of Hogwarts. Is that against the law?"

"It's just that…you know…you're-" He trailed off, not sure how to finish his question.

She looked at him incredulously, "Yeah I'm a Gryffindor and you're a Slytherin, but we're both Blacks. You're my little brother, nothing has changed there."

For the first time a while, Regulus smiled widely and even laughed a little bit, "It's just that our houses hate each other; I thought you would never speak to me again."

Ursula rolled her eyes, "Have I ever followed- "

"No," Regulus cut her off in a joking manner.

Ursula gave him a mock glare before finishing her sentence, "tradition? Besides, it's not like we're the only ones." She nodded her head towards Lily and Snape who were quietly talking not too far away from them.

"Look a little further," Regulus urged her.

She didn't even need to look to feel the glares of the Slytherins who were indignant and outraged that not just one, but two Gryffindors invaded their table.

Deciding to avoid a confrontation that would surely earn her a multiple detentions and a lot of house points, Ursula stood up, "Let's go for a walk. It's nice outside."

Twenty minutes later the two Black siblings were quietly walking through the outdoor bridge. They hadn't talked since they left the Slytherin table, just simply enjoying each others company.

"I want to apologize." Regulus said softly.

"What for?" She asked. "If this is about getting sorted into Slytherin, then you should stop now because the hat was the one that—"

"For this summer," he cut her off softly. "I should have helped! I just ran and left you there to—"

This time it was Ursula's turn to cut him off, "Don't you dare blame yourself for this Reg," she said, pointing towards her face. "You couldn't have done anything to stop her. If you would have tried to stop her, she would have started hurting you and I would gladly take any hit for you. You're my little brother, Reggie. I just want to protect you so if that means you run and I get beaten a little worse, so be it."

Regulus looked at her shocked, "They're right, you know." He said in a soft, breathy voice.

She looked at him confused, "Who's right about what?"

"Slytherins about Gryffindors." He said, innocently putting his hands in his pocket and rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet.

She cocked one of her eyebrows up, "And what do they say about us?"

HE pretended to ponder his answer by rubbing his chin with his hand before he smirked and said, "I believe their exact words were 'Naïve, reckless, half- cocked teens who are self-righteous, idealistic, and full of romantic notions about the- OW! What was that for?"

She cuffed him in the back of the head, cutting him off. Ursula laughed and wrapped her arm around his shoulder and pulled him into a half-hug and kissed the top of his head.

"I love you, you little brat. Now tell me all about your first week of Hogwarts."

He blushed but he didn't push her away as he explained his week at the magical school. Neither of them acknowledged it, but they knew that their time together like this was running short. But at this moment, they were just a little brother spending time with his older sister.

* * *

><p>So if you haven't realized it yet, the subject of Regulus is going to be the main point of contention between Ursula and Sirius. As the story goes on, Regulus is going to be playing quite a significant role, so you should play attention to that. To Lauren who called him a coward, he kind of is but that is comparing him to Sirius and Ursula. When he ran in the last chapter, he was terrified and didn't know what to do. I wanted people to understand that he really does care for his siblings and that is partially why I wrote this chapter. Orion is going to be playing quite a large part in the upcoming years so he isn't someone to be ignored, even if he wasn't had any speaking lines yet. There is a reason for that, I assure you. Just bear with me for a bit and it will be all worth it.<p>

Please tell me what you think of the sibling interaction shown in this chapter. I want to hear your thoughts on it.


	27. Fixing Things

It was a particularly grueling Monday. There had been storms all weekend so everyone was itching to get out of the castle. But due to the amount of homework the teachers assigned over the weekend, everyone was now stressed on top of everything. Tensions had run high among second year Gryffindors. The fight between Ursula, James, and Sirius had the rest of their friends trying not to pick sides. Still, Ben and Elyse were often seen more with Ursula while Peter and Remus went off with James and Sirius. The Blacks and Potter wouldn't even look at each other; only sending glares at each other's direction.

Fed up with all the immaturity, their friends devised a plan.

"Ben, I don't get why I can't hear you play in the common room." Ursula complained as he practically dragged her up the boy's stairs.

He rolled his eyes exasperated, "I've told you – I don't want to play in front of all of Gryffindor just yet."

"You're going to have to eventually, you know; you have a concert in a couple of months."

He didn't answer but opened the door the slightest bit, "Ready Elyse?" Ben asked loudly.

"What?" Ursula asked, trying to pull away but Ben held steady.

"Yeh!" Elyse shouted back.

There was the sound of pounding feet as Ben threw the door open. Elyse was sprinting out of the door and the second she was out, Ben slammed the door. There were shouts of pain following the loud bang as two twelve year old boys hit the door. Before Ursula could fully comprehend what was happening, Ben threw open the door again and practically tossed her in the room.

She tripped over the bodies of her brother and his friend. In an unfortunate footing choice, James doubled over as he was hit where no man should ever be hit. Ursula ended up sprawled out on the nasty floor (Honestly, did they clean? She had to wonder) while Sirius got up and tried to force the door open.

"Let us out!" He shouted.

"Not until you sort everything out. We charmed the door; until you guys make up it won't open. Hope to see you soon- I want to sleep in my bed tonight." With that, Ben's and Elyse's footsteps were heard going down the staircase.

The three refused to look at each other for fifteen minutes. James and Sirius went to settle on their beds while Ursula went over to what she thought was Remus's bed (it was the cleanest looking) and sat down.

Finally, James couldn't handle the silence anymore. He sat up and faced the almost identical looking twins,

"Okay, since neither of you two wants to start, I guess I will; I'm not sorry I told our friends what happened to you and Sirius," he said, focusing on Ursula's face.

Her eyes flashed with anger, "You complete git! If you were my friend then you wouldn't have said anything!"

Something inside of James snapped. He stood up and glared at Ursula, "If you were our friend you would realize how worried we were! We spent the whole summer not knowing what was happening to you two and we were bloody terrified! Hell, I was ready to jump on my broom and follow Fuego to your house to rescue you sorry excuses for friends."

Ursula stared up at him in shock, her jaw just hanging down. Never before had someone shown that they cared that much about them. Sure, James had defended them in the past, but after spending a whole summer with just her mother, she never thought about how her and her brother's lies would affect their friends. But then she thought of the fear that coursed through her veins; the thought flying through her head that she might be beaten to death by her mother at age twelve. James still had no right.

"You know what Potter? I don't know what you and the rest of them went through but don't even compare that to what I went through. While you were imagining bad things happening to me and my brother, I was imagining what would happen if my mother actually loved me. When you were thinking about Quidditch, I was thinking that I was going to die in my kitchen!" Tears welled up in her eyes and she hastily wiped them away.

She suddenly felt herself wrapped in strong arms. Ursula leaned into James's chest and cried for the first time about what happened that night. She clung to him and almost completely soaked the front of his plain grey shirt in tears. He didn't care at all though; he just wrapped his arms tighter around her.

He bent his head down and whispered in her ear, "You don't have to be the martyr all the time; we're here for you."

She shook her head into his chest and cried harder. She felt the bed dip behind her and she felt a comforting hand on her back, rubbing small circles.

"Just let it out Sissy," Sirius comforted her.

She pulled away from James a few minutes later and settled herself between him and Sirius. She leaned her head gently on Sirius's shoulder. James put a hand on her shoulder,

"You know you don't need to keep secrets from us right? You're not at your house anymore. I think we've made it pretty clear we don't judge."

"Not too harshly at least." Sirius added.

Ursula laughed softly, "We judge. We just don't care."

James rolled his eyes, "Must you always challenge everything I say!" He asked, exasperated.

"Duh, you little, loveable git," She said fondly, reaching up to mess up his hair. He tried to swat her away but she dodged his hands and danced away from the bed. She walked towards Remus's bed to grab her bag. Pausing a moment, she noticed the still packed trunk and perfectly made bed. It looked like it hadn't been slept in for days. Thinking about it…

"Guys," She said seriously, "how long has Remus been missing?"

She hadn't really noticed him gone; she was too angry with James and Sirius and plus, he seemed to side with them so she hadn't got to see him as often as she usually would have.

James and Sirius seemed to realize her implication, "Do you think something happened to him? He said that his mom was sick again, Dumbledore took him home." Sirius explained.

Ursula's brows furrowed and she spun on her heals to face the two unconcerned boys.

"That's impossible."

"Why?" James asked as he quickly changed shirts.

Ursula turned back to look at the perfectly made bed, "Dumbledore hasn't been in school the last four days; Ben's dad is being sworn in as Minister of Magic this week and Dumbledore is organizing the swearing in ceremony."

James and Sirius gave each other a surprised look, shocked that neither of them put it together before. How could they have missed Dumbledore missing from dinner the last four nights? That man was about as hard to find as a chair in the middle of an empty room.

"So where's Remus then?" James asked slowly.

Ursula shrugged, surprise and confusion clear as day on her face, "I don't know." She said softly and slowly.

The three of them stood still, all thinking to themselves, '_Where is he_?'

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><p>Tell me you thoughts! I know there wasn't much going on in this chapter but it is the last one that really isn't completely vital to the story as a whole, but I think the end is a bit of foreshadowing for what is to come for our favorite werewolf. To say that thoughts like the last one will become uncommon would be a complete lie.<p> 


	28. Stupid Moon

_Thank you to everyone that has reviewed! DobbysArmy had reminded me that I had been kind of ignoring Remus so this chapter is completely dedicated to everyone's favorite werewolf. I hope you enjoy this next installment of A Black and White Story and you leave a nice little review telling me what you think_

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><p>Remus felt horrible. The last full moon had been absolutely horrible. The injuries he inflicted on himself in that single night left him in the hospital wing for more than five days. As he was walking back to the dorms, his shoulder felt like it was about to detach from him body it hurt so bad. He felt miserable and all he wanted to do was crawl into his warm bed and sleep forever. The Fat Lady gave him a sympathetic look as he stumbled towards the entrance to Gryffindor Tower. She didn't even demand a password from him.<p>

He fully intended to go up to his dorm and think of a reasonable excuse as to why he looked like he just got run over by a rabid horde of Hippogriffs when he was only visiting his sick mother. Maybe, he decided to go for a swim in the pond near his house. Then, when he was swimming out to the middle of the lake, he was attacked by Grindywillows. Yeah, that would work. Then, following the ensuing epic fight, he crawled out of the water victorious when a wild Hippogriff spotted him and-

"Why, look oo's back from teh dead." A heavily sarcastic voice said from the couch.

Remus jumped a foot in the air. Sitting calmly with Ursula, Elyse was looking straight at him with most serious look on her face that Remus had ever seen. Ursula too looked strangely serious. The fading bruises on her face gave her an extremely grave appearance.

He smiled sheepishly at them, hoping that they wouldn't see his injuries in the dim light, "Hello guys. How long have you been sitting here?"

Remus had walked a little closer and saw that Peter, James, and Sirius were sleeping either on the smaller sofa or in the armchair. There was one person missing and that made Remus worry, "Where's Ben?"

Ursula raised an eyebrow, "His dad is being sworn in as Minister of Magic tomorrow morning, don't you remember?"

He did remember now that she mentioned it. He had never personally met J. Andrew White before, but he heard enough from his father and from his friends to know quite a bit about him. He became an Auror right after graduating Hogwarts (A Gryffindor Graduate) and worked his way up to become Head of the Auror department by the time Ben was born. He was often noted as one of the most fair and honest men in the Ministry. From what Remus had heard Ben had inherited a lot of his father's qualities. Now with the current Minister, an old man that Remus didn't even know the name of, was retiring, Jay White had been unanimously elected as the new Minister. While Ben's friends all thought it was cool, they never really talked about it. His dad just got a new job in their eyes.

"Yeah," Elyse continued, "Professor Dumbledore came teh get 'im aboot tree hours ago. It was nice oov Dumbledore teh take time oot oov 'is busy week from teh Ministry teh take Ben teh 'is family."

Remus paled a bit, "Busy week at the ministry?" He asked, his voice going up an octave. Of course the one time he specifically uses a professor's name is the one time the said professor isn't in the school. They would never believe the story he told them now.

Ursula confirmed his fears, "It was quite nice that Dumbledore took you to see your mother when he had so much more going on." She said in a patronizing tone.

Remus was silent, horrified.

"Have anything to tell us?" Ursula asked him after a minute. When he didn't say anything, she stood up and stood only a foot away from him. While looking him straight in the eye, she started talking in a soft voice,

"If I've told you once, I've told you a million times, everyone has secrets; some are just darker than others. I have never lied to you and I have never pushed when you show up once a month with cuts and bruises but this is where I draw the line. I refuse to be lied to. Now, do you have anything to tell me?"

His eyes looked straight into her silver ones and he could see all her emotions play out in her eyes. He tore his gaze away and looked at the adjacent wall.

"No," he whispered softly, unable to tell her his secret. She would never accept him; her mother probably beat into her head that half-breeds, especially werewolves, were violent and murderous. There was no way that Ursula would be able to see past that.

His eyes flickered towards hers and now her eyes were completely different. They looked just like they did when she encountered Professor Avery or Snape.

"Then I have nothing to say to you."

She turned on heels, walking away from not only him, but the friendship he refused to trust.

* * *

><p>Remus was miserable. None of his friends would talk to him. They had worked out that he had been lying to them the entire time since they've met him and they all took that hard. They had filled Ben in on the situation when he got back from his father's inauguration. He was skeptical but he believed them because the rest of them had never given him a reason to doubt them; Remus had lied to him in the past and Ben knew it. So now Remus sat off to the side by himself. In classes, since seats were assigned, he still sat next to them, but they never talked to him except when asking him to pass over some potions ingredient. It was absolutely horrible for all of them. They all looked like they wanted to take him back but knowing the lies he had fed them about his sick relatives left them avoiding him at all costs.<p>

He happened to hear a conversation the day after his 'betrayal' when he was about to walk into his room.

"-heard him wrong!" He heard James say loudly to someone.

"We all heard him James. He said that Dumbledore was going to take him to his mother's house because she was ill." Sirius said in an agitated voice.

"Maybe he meant that Dumbledore arranged it! He might have meant-"

"Shut up James," Sirius snapped, "Remus is lying to us! We've trusted him with every bloody secret we have and here he is lying straight to our face. I bet he's having a right laugh about it, the little prat," he spat out quite loudly.

Remus winced when he heard his tone. He should have known that Sirius would be the most outspoken one.

"Don't talk bad about him!"

Remus's sadness doubled when he heard James still defending him.

"Sure he lied, but maybe he had a reason. Maybe his mom got really sick or is dying for all we know. I mean, I can't imagine how I would be acting if my mom was going through what Mrs. Lupin was going through so we should cut him some slack."

And now the guilt was tripled.

There was silence in the room before a third voice spoke. Remus had to stick his ear right up against the door to hear, but Ben's voice was clear,

"I saw her, you know."

"Who?" Sirius demanded.

From the other side of the door, Remus heard Ben sigh. "I saw Mrs. Lupin at my dad's swearing in. His dad is the Head Obliviator for the Ministry so obviously both his parents were there."

Silence.

Finally James's voice broke the deafening silence, "How did she look?" He asked in a choked voice, almost like it was impossible for him to believe Remus's blatant lies.

"She looked fine. There was nothing wrong with her; she looked perfectly healthy."

"Maybe she got better-" James said meekly, but Remus could tell that he was grasping for straws at this point.

"Oh, give it up James! If she was better four days ago, why was Remus missing for five? Hmm? Ever think of that?"

"This conversation is over." James said and Remus heard the sounds of curtains being pulled closed around a bed. Two more identical sounds followed. He waited a couple minutes before he walked into the room. He was just about to crawl into bed when the door opened again.

He met Peter's usually friendly eyes and tried to smile a bit. Peter just stared at him blankly for a moment before he went over to his bed, ignoring Remus completely.

As he lay in bed, it hurt him to think about what he was doing to his friends; especially James who seemed to take the betrayal quite hard. It haunted him for the next few days.

But in Remus's mind, it worked out better that way. The farther away from him the better; now there was no risk of them seeing him sneak out into the forest with Madame Pomfrey. Because he knew them, he knew that they would follow. He had played the scene over and over in his minds. Sirius and Ursula would be bantering back and forth about something extremely irrelevant. James would be leading the group as the natural leader that they would all have no problem following blindly. Ben would by on his left side (The Blacks were on the right) and he would be standing protectively in front of Elyse. Peter would be directly following James, just like he did every day. They would hear his snarls and howls from the Whomping Willow. Assuming the best of Remus and being intelligent, they would come to the conclusion that he was being attacked by a werewolf. Being the Gryffindors they were, they would rush forward right into their deaths at Remus's hands. He could just image the looks on their face when they realized the boy they trusted so much would be their murderer. All because of a stupid moon...

"Are you okay Remus?" He heard a soft voice ask him.

He had been staring at his friends about six days after they stopped talking, completely lost in his thoughts when Lily broke his train of thought. His eyes met Ursula's for just a second before she looked away with pain in her eyes. Guilt stabbed his heart, but it was for the best. At least that was what he kept telling himself…

"I'm fine Lily," He said giving her the fakest and weakest smile known to mankind.

She gave him a look and he knew that she didn't buy it for one second, "Don't insult my intelligence Remus. I know something happened between you and your friends- heck this entire tower knows."

He gulped nervously, "Really?"

She just nodded and settled herself next to him on the soft sofa. She looked over where his friends and two of her dorm mates were sitting. They had positioned themselves so that the two girls were sitting on the stairs to the girls' dorms and the boys were sitting around them in a little semicircle.

Ursula sneaked a look over at Remus for a brief second before she said something to Elyse before quickly disappearing up the stairs.

"You know Remus, I may not know how the guys feel but I've lived with Elyse and Ursula for the last two years. Elyse is very vocal about how she feels and she cares a lot about her friends so she is torn up about the whole thing. Ursula is another story. She may not show it all the time, but she takes everything personally. From her mother's howler last year to her mom beating her this summer; she claims it doesn't bother her, but it does."

Remus was shocked at what Lily said, "Ursula told you about this summer?"

Lily shook her head while laughing softly, "Do you think she would want my pity? She doesn't want to appear weak to everyone. It wasn't that hard to figure out what happened."

Remus was silent again. He knew his friends were hurt but it was better for everyone in the long run. They would go places in life; they didn't need a stupid, murderous monster holding them back. They deserved more than a werewolf for a friend.

A hand resting on his brought him out of his self-deprecating thoughts. He looked into Lily's brilliant green eyes and she gave his hand a soft squeeze before saying,

"I don't know what happened but you need them back Remus. And to be perfectly honest, I think they need you back more."

She smiled at him softly before she got up and walked up to her dorm. She had to step through the circle of boys and she may or may not have accidentally given James a kick to the leg when he asked her about Snivellus.

Just before she turned disappeared up the stairs, she turned around and gave Remus a small wave before disappearing up to her room.

Remus waved back to her and looked into the fire. After a moment, he covered his face with his hands, his elbows resting on his thighs. He may not want to admit it but there was no denying it as he listened to his friends' laughter only a short distance away from him. Lily was right; he did need them. He stole a look in their direction when their laughter cut short. They were looking right at him, sadness and disappointment and regret in their eyes.

And maybe, just maybe, they needed him more.

* * *

><p><em>I know what you are probably thinking. Another chapter with the whole group fightingignoring one person? Didn't this just happen? Well, yes it did. But I am trying to keep a lot of this cannon so on top of everything I have planned, I needed to include a plot on how they discover his 'furry little problem'. This just happened to be the way I went with it. I am hoping to get the next chapter up by Monday but it might be sooner if I write it fast (I happen to write faster when I get reviews...hint...hint). _


	29. Two Plus Two equals Werewolf

_Just a reminder, I don't own Harry Potter_

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><p>"Darn it! Who knows the skin color spell?" Sirius asked agitatedly.<p>

They were sitting in an abandoned hallway near the Transfiguration rooms. No one ever went past there so they figured it was the safest place for them to plot their pranks. At the current moment, the prank they were planning involved red skin and some Slytherins. The only problem was figuring out how to plan it.

"We can't just walk up to them and say some spell," Peter argued. "We have to be sneaky so we don't get caught."

"What if we steal their clothes from the laundry and place the spell on their robes so that when they put them on, their skin changes color?" Ursula suggested.

James nodded, rubbing his hand against his chin, "That could work. You and Elyse are small enough to get into the laundry room without being noticed. As for the spell, I'm not sure. Rem-" He stopped and swallowed loudly. "Anyone know the spell?" He asked the group.

They all looked at each other. Their eyes said everything. They had no flipping clue.

"Bet Remus would know," James muttered to himself before speaking up, "Fine. Ursula, Peter, you two go to the library. Say that you're tutoring Pete in Charms or something believable so the librarian doesn't kick you out. Go check out some books and see if you can find a spell that would work for us. Use the notebook to send us the spell so we can get started." James ordered. He pushed his glasses up his nose and looked at them seriously. "Stay safe and don't take any risks. Godspeed."

Ursula rolled her eyes at his dramatic antics. She stood up and checked her messenger back for the notebook that allowed her and Sirius to communicate when they were separated. It had been a birthday gift from R-, no she mustn't think of him.

"Come on Pete, time to go study some transfiguration." She held her hand down and helped pull her friend up. He grabbed his bag and they started walking to the library, trying to look innocuous. They walked in silence for about a minute before Peter broke the silence,

"So, how long do you think you're going to be mad at Remus?"

Her face darkened a bit, "As long as he continues to lie to us."

Peter shrugged, "I kind of get why he is lying; there's obviously something really wrong with him. It has to be really bad for him not to want to tell us."

"But what could be that bad that you can't trust your friends?" She asked as she looked around the corner to see if anyone was coming.

Peter shrugged nonchalantly as he trailed after her. "Well, it only happens once a month and he's gone a couple days because of it and he comes back looking like he got in a fight with a giant and lost."

"Peter, shut up. I don't want to talk about this right now." Ursula said in a short, biting tone. It was still an open wound for her.

But of course Peter ignored her and continued his musings.

"Of course, the teachers would have to know what is wrong. I've never seen McGonagall say anything about him missing so much class. Come to think about it, the teachers almost seem sorry for him the day before he leaves."

"I get it Pete now shut up." She interrupted him. He just kept on going.

"But why would they feel bad? It's almost like he got cursed or something." He mused out loud.

"If you continue on, _I'm_ going to curse _you_."

"But what curse would only hit him once a month?"

"Why don't you ask?" She asked, deadpanned.

"Not just once a month; it hits him at night. He looks like hell the entire day, pale as the moon, and then disappears after dinner and shows up days later."

"You're just a regular Sherlock aren't yah?" She asked sarcastically.

"It's almost like a cycle. It's like the seasons just shorter."

Ursula froze midstep. She looked at Peter with wide eyes. '_He's got cursed or something…just once a month…like a cycle…the moon…at night'_

It all made sense. It was the only thing that made sense. Her father told her and her brothers all about them when her mother invited a particular friend over for dinner one night when she was six. He taught her all the signs and why to avoid them. It fit perfectly together, so much so that there was no possibility that it was a coincidence. Remus, her best friend, one of the sweetest boys in the entire school, someone she told her secrets to without feeling judged, bloody brilliant, a kid with a wicked sense of humor when he opened up, the shy little boy she met on the train, the boy with scars on his face, was a werewolf.

"Ursula…?" Peter asked her, waving his hand in front of her face after she froze. She blinked a couple of times before she focused on his face.

"Pete, you're brilliant! I've got to go!" She kissed him on the cheek quickly before she dumped her bag next to him and ran off, her robes billowing behind her as she disappeared around a corner.

Peter stared in the directions she disappeared to. His cheeks were flaming red and he brought his hand up to touch the spot that she kissed. He had no idea what he did, but he hoped that he would do it more in the future.

* * *

><p>The rest of the gang was still sitting in the abandoned hallway. James and Sirius were tossing a ball back and forth across the hall while Ben got started on his homework. Elyse had curled up on the window ledge and was staring down at Hogwarts ground. Students were running around in the field just outside the door and they were playing with what appeared to be a frizzbee that was enchanted to never stop. The older students had to grab it and while still moving, spin and direct their throw all while trying to lose their balance or get swept away by the piece of plastic.<p>

"Hey Elyse, want to check out if this works?" James asked her from across the hallway.

"Yeh knew I can't tell ye, right?"

James just shrugged and lobbed the ball to Sirius with deadly accuracy without even looking that direction.

"Doesn't matter."

Deciding that she will probably never understand his logic, she closed her eyes and let the familiar feeling of falling take over her. She had been reading books that Dumbledore gave her to try to control what she saw and when she saw it, so she hoped that she would have some luck with this. She heard a whisper of Ursula's voice and caught onto that.

"_Are you all sure you've finished the first steps? Because once you drink this there's no going back."_

_There were six teenagers standing around the kitchen table at the Potter residence. In the middle of the table were six vials of softly smoking liquid. They were all about fifteen or sixteen years old but Elyse could still recognize every single one of them. James was standing in jeans and a grey t-shirt; Elyse could see his defined muscles under the thin material. His hair was even messier than usual. Ben and Sirius were dressed similarly and they too gained a lot of muscle. Ben's fire red hair was just falling into his eyes but it suited him. Even in casual wear, Sirius's hair was just as perfect as if was in the past (current time?) as if fell around his face. All three boys were over six feet, towering over the girls. Peter was shorter and still had his pudginess, but he had slimmed down a little bit._

_Ursula had grown into a lovely young woman, her pale blue shirt and white shorts contrasted sharply with her dark hair and tan skin. She too was much taller, maybe around 5'8''ish. Her face had lost all of the childish roundness and her features were accented because of her thick curly hair being pulled back into a long ponytail. Elyse was shocked as she looked at herself; she was still the shortest of the group, barely hitting Ursula's shoulder. She had never seen herself this far in the future. To say the least, she was looking forward to looking like that._

_All in all, puberty treated them all very well. But then the twelve year old Elyse's heart sunk. Remus wasn't with them. Did they ever make up from the stupid fight they were having? I didn't seem so from what she saw.  
><em>

"_Ursula, chill. We've already had partial transformations. Nothing could go wrong." Sirius said with easy grace._

_Elyse (the one watching the vision) felt her jaw drop. His voice was no longer that of a child's. His voice was that of an adult with a tenor voice that was as smooth as silk._

"_We can't take this lightly," Ben spoke up. His voice had changed too. "If we are caught, that's ten years in Azkaban for us. My dad can't get us out of this; he would probably lose his job if I'm caught along with the rest of you."_

"_Yeh's exaggeratin'," The fifteen year old Elyse said._

"_No, he's not," Ursula spoke up. "This is a serious offense in the eyes of the ministry. That's why if anyone wants to get out of this, then we won't think any less of you."_

_No one around the table moved._

_James was the first one to reach for a vial. He held it up and with a serious look on his oddly mature face said, "To Moony."_

_The rest of them grabbed a vial and held it up in a toast, "To Moony," they chorused. Simultaneously, they gulped down the potion._

Elyse opened her eyes with a gasp and fell of the window ledge.

"Are you alright?" Ben got up and rushed to her side.

She looked at him in shock. It was odd to look at him after just seeing him in three years. The difference those years would make…

"What did you see?" James asked worriedly as he too knelt down next to her. Sirius was standing over his shoulder and looked down nervously at her.

She shook her head and looked into James's eyes, "I 'ave no idear. No bloody idear."

* * *

><p>Remus slowly made his way up the stairs at that same time. He figured it was safe to be in his dorm since he heard in the halls that the James and the rest of them were hanging around the Transfiguration classrooms. This gave him some time in his dorm without any awkward silences or tension so thick that you could cut it with a knife.<p>

He opened the door and turned his back to the room to close his door. He locked it just for good measure.

"Hello Remus; long time no talk."

He just about had a heart attack right there. He spun around and saw Ursula sitting cross legged on his bed. She was calmly sitting there, observing him with emotionless eyes.

After he got his heart rate back under control, he took a couple of steps into his room.

"Hello Ursula. What are you doing up here? Are you looking for Sirius? I heard that he was down in the Transfiguration hallway with the rest of the group but then again, that is just what I heard in the hallway and that can be completely false and I would have no way of knowing and you probably know where your brother or you just don't care because you don't seem to be looking for him but I can't think of why else you would be up here except for maybe-"

Ursula cut off his ramblings, "Lupin, shut it."

His mouth closed with a click as his teeth hit together.

She looked at him for one more second.

"I know." She said softly.

Remus's heart skipped a beat, "About what?" He asked in a horrified whisper. No, no, no this could not be happening to him. But maybe she didn't know about what his condition. Maybe she knew that he was planning on asking McGonagall to switch him to some other dorm.

"I know," she started again softly, "you're a werewolf."

With those simple five words, his whole world stopped. This was the end; he would be kicked out, his wand broken in two. No one would ever dare speak his name again in fear of being associated to a monster like him. At least he had two years of being a normal kid.

And just when he thought she couldn't say anything more shocking, she did,

"And I-"

* * *

><p><em>Please, don't kill me! While I hate cliff hangers, I just couldn't resist the temptation. I probably won't get around to updating tomorrow seeing as it is Easter and I have my entire family coming over to my house, but I promise that that the next chapter will be up by Monday. Hopefully the next chapter will be good enough that you all take me off your hit list.<em>

_Even so, **Review**! It's the only sure fire way to make sure I update when I say I will.  
><em>


	30. I'm Disgusted By You!

"-don't care." She finished.

Remus's jaw dropped to the floor. He had to have misheard her. He stuck his finger in his ear and wiggled it around to clean it out; he _had _to have heard wrong. There was no possible way…

"Could you repeat that?" He asked.

Ursula laughed, "Remus, you aren't thick. I don't care that you're a werewolf. I mean, you're obviously taking the proper precautions to make sure nothing happens so I don't see a problem spending time with you the other 353 days of the year."

"Are you serious right now?" He asked her with a hopeful voice.

"No, that's my brother," she quipped before laughing again. He smiled a little bit at the lame attempt at a joke. She jumped off the bed and walked in front of him, looking up because of the height difference. "Remus, you have to tell the rest of them. They've been miserable without you." She said seriously.

"No," he said panicked, "I can't. _You_ might understand, but-"

"But what?" She demanded, putting her hand on her hips and giving him a look, "If I – a girl raised in the most judgmental, harsh, pureblooded families known to all of England – can understand, then the rest of them will. They've been your friend for over a year; they won't care. And if one of them doesn't understand, I'm sure we can find an oblivate spell to use."

"Do you really think they'll accept me after everything that has happened?" Remus asked softly after a moment.

She smiled gently, grabbed his hand and gave it a soft squeeze.

"I know they will."

Half an hour later, the rest of the group was moving up to the boys' dorm. Peter had found them after he went searching in the library by himself after Ursula left him. The rest of the group was curious as to what caused her to go running off but judging by the fact they haven't heard her name in any passing gossip, they figured that she was okay.

They were on their way up the stairs when they heard voices coming from their room. James looked at Sirius confused, who the heck was in their room? James pulled out his wand and the rest of them followed suit. Slowly, James pushed the door open and blocked his friend's from being able to see inside the room. But still, they could see the change on his face.

"Lupin." He said as he put his wand back into his pocket. The rest of them followed suit.

"James, get in here." A distinctly not male voice said. Sirius peered around James's shoulder and looked incredulous when he saw his sister sitting on the bed next to Remus.

"What the hell are you doing?" He exclaimed.

She glared at him.

"You are going to get in here, close the door, shut up, and listen to what Remus has to say." Her voice left no room for argument.

The boys shuffled in, refusing to meet Remus's eyes as they settled on their beds. Elyse decided to claim a random bed as her own so that left Peter sitting at the foot of his bed. Once they were all sitting, Ursula began to talk.

"Now, you little dunderheads are going to listen to what Remus has to say. I swear on my Magic if any of you say anything I don't like…" She left the threat empty but she waved her wand around, showing that she meant business.

All of their attention went straight to Remus. The boy looked absolutely terrified as he was playing with a thread on his comforter.

"So obviously, I have been lying to all of you for the last year. I swear that there was a reason though. Professor Dumbledore made me promise not to tell anyone about it unless I completely trusted them, but my parents didn't want _anyone_ to know. If the wrong person found out, I would be kicked out of Hogwarts. This isn't something that is good guys and I would completely understand that if you never want to speak to me again. Believe me; I wouldn't want to talk to me either." He paused and looked up at them for the first time with tears in his eyes.

"Whatever you have to say, just spit it out, it can't be that bad." James said, slightly hopeful that he would have his friend back and slightly annoyed that this explanation was taking so long.

Ursula pointed her wand at James in a threatening way but James just held his hands up in surrender as if to say 'what? It was taking too long'.

Remus ignored them and took a deep breath.

"I'm a werewolf."

Dead. Silence.

None of them were expecting that. Peter gasped in shock and Ben's jaw was dropped to the ground. Sirius and James were frozen in shock. Obviously whatever they were thinking Remus was going to tell them, that was definitely not it. Elyse's eyes widened, shocked that a mystical creature she only thought to exist in fairy tales was actually in the same room as her.

James was the one to react. He shot of the bed as he whipped a pillow at Remus. He grabbed another pillow off his bed as he ran towards Remus and started to attack him with the pillow,

"You" hit "Stupid" hit "Idiotic" another hit "Git! That's why you stopped talking to us!" James hit him the pillow quite hard again.

Remus was practically flattened against his bed at this point, staring fearfully up at James and the pillow. Ursula was trying to hold back a laugh at what she was witnessing. She had an idea where the James was going with this.

"You're not disgusted by me?" Remus asked in a meek, shocked voice.

James snorted, "Hell yes I'm disgusted by you." He practically shouted.

The look at Remus's face broke Ursula's heart and she was about to hex James into kingdom come (this wasn't going where she thought it was) and knock that stupid smirk off his face but then James continued,

"I'm disgusted that you didn't trust us."

It looked like Remus had just seen James in a new light. Sirius spoke up from his bed and shook his head with mock disappointment, "I'm disappointed in you Remus; I thought you were the smart one in here."

"Hey!" Ben shouted and threw a pillow across the room at Sirius but he ducked just in time to avoid the projectile.

"None of you guys have a problem with me being a werewolf?" Remus asked, shock and amazement in his voice. "You don't care that I'm a crazy, blood driven, murderous psychopath?"

"Hate to break it to you mate," Sirius began.

"We live with one already," Ursula finished.

James sniggered at their slightly inappropriate joke, considering that Ursula's bruises were still just visible on her face and Sirius's burn had faded into a pink on his neck.

Remus rolled his eyes but looked at them hopefully, "So you guys really have no problem with this?"

Ben spoke for them all when he said simply and honestly, "No."

"Plus," Elyse spoke up, "yeh's friend wit some oov teh smartest people at Hogwarts. We kin figure sometin oot teh help yeh."

"Yeah, there has to be something, somewhere in this castle that will help you out during the full moons. And if not, well maybe we'll be trying some new things out." Ursula offered.

'_Yeah, even breakin some laws'_ Elyse thought while everyone started to discuss where they should start looking. The first stop on their list; the potions room.

* * *

><p><em>So they finally know. I hope that this chapter was up to your expectations. Things are going to really be picking up from here so just hold tight. There's going to be some major developments before they finish the year such as Quidditch, the hospital wing, some random potions, Mrs. Potter, and some sneaky sneakiness. <em>

_Tell me if you liked this! You're thoughts would be highly appreciated!_


	31. How to Connect Voldy and Quidditch

_Wow, two chapters in one day! Add to that that I have updated everyday for the last four days with a new chapter; I think I deserve some reviews people! Plus, this story is so close to 2,000 hits! Come one people, I believe in you!_

* * *

><p>The balance in the world had been restored. With Remus back as their friend, they all just seemed more alive. Remus had known the spell to charm the school robes so the morning after their reconciliation, the Slytherins woke up, how shall we say, slightly red? Gold? Either color; they were furious. Unfortunately, McGonagall figured out it was them and they all got three days detention but none of them were complaining- they were just happy to be friends again.<p>

They were planning their next prank, an ambitious one of trying to turn the floor of the Great Hall into a giant marshmallow, at the breakfast table when an owl dropped a letter in front of Ben. It was from Annabelle. He read it out loud to his friends.

_Benny,_

_I know I just saw you at Dad's swearing in, but I just heard about your little prank involving some Gryffindor colored Slytherins. Not that original, but not bad for some second years. Frank and Benjy were impressed so that says something. Those two have solemnly sworn to help you two in anything you need pranking wise, so feel free to ask them for some spell advice for any future mischief. Frank is wicked at Charms and Benjy can brew up any potion you need. Still, you made an old witch proud all on your own._

_I know you want to ask about how things are going for me. Let's just say…life has taken a certain orderly fashion it never has for me before. Dad isn't exactly pleased, but I'm starting to find that order is sometimes chaos perfectly disguised._

_Sorry this is so short but I have to get to training in fifteen minutes and Gideon just blew up the oven in the kitchen. _

_Farewell my brother,_

_Annabelle_

"Order? Are we talking about the same Annabelle White? The one I remember last year would never put her life in any order," Ursula pointed out as soon as he finished the letter.

James checked around them for someone listening in and then leaded forward, motioning for them to do the same. Once he was sure that they were all able to hear him he said, "I don't think she means order as in the way we think she means."

"What do you think it means?" Ben asked.

James motioned for him to hand over the letter. He reread it and then pointed to the second paragraph, "My dad talked a lot over the summer about some group that is fighting Death Eaters. I didn't think he was being serious, but if what my dad said is true, then they are quite new."

"Why do you think she's in that group?" Sirius asked, curious as to how James connected something in her letter to her joining an anti-Death Eater group.

"She says her life took 'order' and she says that order is really 'chaos perfectly disguised'. When I was paying on my dad, he kept on calling it the Order when he was talking about this group."

Ben looked at the letter fearfully, "You mean she's going to find Death Eaters and kill them?" He asked as his breathing picking up a little bit. This sounded exactly like something she would do.

"Wait a minute," Elyse began, "woot is a Death Eater?"

James leaned back and stood up, "This conversation should be continued in private, agreed?"

Everyone nodded and they all stood up. James leading the way led them to Gryffindor Tower where they continued into the boys' dorm. They took their usual seats; the boy's on their bed with Ursula and Elyse sharing with Sirius and Peter respectively.

"So woot are Death Eaters?" Elyse asked again.

All the purebloods looked at each and decided silently who would be the one to explain this to their muggleborn friend. Sirius was the one that began to explain the social unrest in their world,

"You know that there are three types of wizards; people like me, Sissy, James, Peter, and Ben who belong to families that been wizards or witches for centuries; people like you that don't have any magical history but somehow get some magical ability; and then there are people like Remus who are a mix. Now I know we explained on the train a year ago that some people don't think that muggleborns should learn magic"

Ben picked up where he left off, "Most purebloods and halfbloods don't care, but some of the the people that don't like muggleborns have taken it to the extreme. Those that do are called Death Eaters. They have this insane leader that calls himself Lord Voldemort. No one knows who he is exactly because this is a name he gave himself."

Now it was Ursula's turn, "No one knows exactly who the Death Eaters are. They were masks over their face, but you have a general idea. People like Bellatrix and Lucius for example. Basically, everyone from Slytherin and a couple of Ravenclaws have joined them. They make it their goal to torture and murder all the people, muggle and magic alike, they deem unworthy to live."

The look on Elyse's face showed all of her feelings. She looked absolutely terrified. Her eyes were wide and she was pale. It was a completely reasonable reaction considering the news she just got. How else would you react after you just found out that there are people out there that would have no reservations killing you just because you are a muggleborn witch? James saw this and he rolled his eyes,

"You have nothing to worry about Lysie. The aurors will take care of all the Death Eaters and Dumbledore will end up kicking Voldy's ass. This whole thing will blow over in a couple years."

"Yeh tink so?" Elyse asked, a little bit of color coming back into her face.

James snorted as if he was shocked that she would ever doubt him, "Think so, my dear little Leprechaun? I'm positive. Plus, there are much more important things to be thinking about. Like Quidditch! Try outs and in two days and I'm hoping to take the empty chaser position. What about the rest of you?"

The atmosphere in the room got considerably lighter as the topic moved from Voldemort to Quidditch try outs.

"I'm not trying out this year," Ben said.

James shot up from his lax position on his bed, "What! Your sister was captain last year!"

Ben just rolled his eyes, "The only positions open are one chaser and both beaters. You're going for the chaser so I'm not going to try out for that and I can't play beater worth my life. Besides, with my extra music class on top of all the required classes, I would never have time for practice on top of all that."

James conceded to his reasons, "Fair enough. What about you Sirius?"

Sirius nodded, "Ursula and I are going out for the beater position. But we'll see."

"We heard that Liam McLaggen and Cormac Zimmerman are trying out and they're like a set of twins themselves." Ursula explained. That was true; the pair of Gryffindor fifth years spent most of their time together. They were often teased about it, but it was just that they were like brothers. Liam could rub people the wrong way but Cormac was a good person that somehow always soothed over whatever problem his best friend caused.

James shrugged, "Let's see."

Out of nowhere, he whipped two pillows at the Black twins. Sirius knocked the pillow to the side while Ursula caught it and glared at him,

"What the heck?"

He shrugged in his infuriating way, "Just testing you. Sirius knocked it away like a beater but you caught it just like a chaser."

Ursula sputtered, obviously not expecting an actual reason.

It was Remus that actually spoke up,

"James?"

"What?"

There was a slight pause.

"Why must you always throw pillows?" He asked in a serious, academic tone.

Ben stifled a laughed while Peter turned his laugh into a cough. Neither Black tried to hide their laughter.

"Well, why must you always be so smart Remus?" James shot back.

Remus shrugged, "I don't know, because I am?" He offered up sarcastically.

"Exactly." James asserted.

"What? That makes no sense." Remus asked with a befuddled look on his face.

"Exactly," James said again with more finality.

Ben shook his head with a laugh, "You're one of a kind aren't ya Jamsie."

The easy smile on James's face disappeared, "Call me Jamsie and you will die."

"Okay, okay, calm down." Ben said, still trying to hold back his laughter.

"I mean it, violin boy!" James said, pointing his wand threateningly at Ben.

Ben nodded while smirking, "I don't doubt you," He started coughing but the rest of them could clearly hear, "Jamsie."


	32. An Ecstatic James and Dear ol' Minnie

_So this is going to be one of the last filler chapters. The bigger stuff is going to start after Christmas break, so you are just going to have to hold on._

* * *

><p>"When did Longbottom say he was posting the results?" Sirius asked for the millionth time that day. He and James were in the common room, playing a game of exploding snaps while the other's did their homework around them.<p>

James rolled his eyes but answered anyway, "He said tomorrow morning before classes. I grabbed my cloak yesterday and followed him around; he was telling his friends that he knew but he wanted everyone to stress out about it."

Sirius physically deflated, "Ass." He mumbled under his breath.

Quidditch try outs had been two days ago but Frank, the new captain, still wasn't telling anyone who made the team. The majority of the team was already picked; Frank didn't even make last year's team retry out. James was extremely confident that he made it, but Sirius was not as sure. The try out didn't go that well for him and his sister.

As they were walking to the pitch the morning of try outs, an owl swooped down in front of them and dropped a letter in Ursula's hands. She told the rest of them to go ahead while she stopped to read the letter. She was missing for fifteen minutes – almost missing call time – before she showed up. It didn't look like anything was bothering her but Sirius knew something was seriously wrong. They barely made it through try outs without being killed by a bludger. The second they landed, Ursula ran off to her dorm, claiming she had to do her potions essay, but Sirius knew better. But he also knew well enough to not bother her until she came to him.

Sirius was broken out of his thoughts when Frank Longbottom came down the boys' stairs practically skipping. He stuck something to the wall before he ran back up to his room to avoid being trampled by the horde of hopeful Gryffindors.

"Who wants to face that?" Ursula asked, motioning towards the giant crowd that was groaning in disappointment.

Elyse was the one that surprisingly stood up after the two boys failed to react. She worked her way through the crowd and was back within two minutes with a solemn look on her face.

"James…I don't knew 'ow teh say'dis but…"

The look of complete and utter disappointment rushed over James's face. His hazel eyes dimmed and he looked like he was ready to throw himself off the astronomy tower.

"I didn't make it, did I?"

She looked at him sadly, "I's joost wonderin' 'ow yeh's gonna survive witoot us fer practice." She started to smile and then laugh loudly at the look on his face.

It took James a minute to comprehend what she had just said. His eyes widened significantly and a goofy grin spread across his face as he looked up at her. In a child-like voice he would later deny, he asked Elyse, "I made the team?"

"Yup."

Like a bludger just released from its constraints, James jumped from his seat and grabbed Elyse in a suffocating hug. He gripped her tightly and spun around the common room with her in his arms, laughing in joy the entire time. Elyse was laughing too as the tower spun around her. He put her down, kissed her on the cheek, before grabbing Ursula's hands and pulling her up from her spot on the floor, sending all her homework everywhere. James started to dance wildly with her like he was dancing the jive on a sugar high.

"This is brilliant! I made it Ursula! I did it!" He shouted in joy.

Ursula for the first time in days laughed with him as he spun her around in circles. Finally the shock seemed to wear off and James let her go. He stumbled backwards and practically collapsed into his seat.

"I made the team," he said in an awed tone.

Remus snorted while flipping through his herbology book.

"Really mate? Had no idea."

James rolled his eyes at his friend's sarcasm, but he was in too much of a good mood for that to bring him down. He looked over at Elyse, "Who else made it?"

Elyse smiled sadly at the Black twins, "Cormac 'n Liam are teh beaters. Sorry."

Ursula didn't seem to be affected by the news but Sirius looked crushed. James had the tact to be sorry for his closest of close friends and offered his condolences.

"Sorry Sirius. Once they graduate in a few years, I'm sure the position will be yours. Beaters don't make it until fourth year and up usually." James tried to reason with Sirius.

Sirius put on a fake smile of James, knowing that James would never be happy on the team if he thought his friends were upset about him being on it, "No, it's alright James. Now I can devote more time to pranks."

The group of friends laughed at the devious smile that had formed on Sirius's lips when he said that. It was a true statement that none of them doubted.

"I'm going to go write my parents." James said while jumping off the chair. "They wanted to know the second I found out."

He ran up the stairs, taking them two at a time, to get some paper and a quill to write the news of his making of the Quidditch team to his parents. Ursula had no doubt that Mrs. Potter would be thrilled at the news. She would probably drop the letter in shock and then rush to find Mr. Potter to tell them the news. Together, they would write James a heartfelt letter of how proud they were of him and how they would buy him a new broom. Maybe Mrs. Potter would brag about it to all her wizard friends or maybe tell all her muggle ones that her son got put on varity (variety, varsity, varitey something like that) football.

Ursula could only image how different her mother and father's reaction would be if her brother or she made the team…

That thought brought her mind back to the two letters that were burning a hole in her messenger bag. Two letters that she needed someone else to see.

* * *

><p>It was a Friday night in late October. Minerva McGonagall was sitting at her desk grading third year theory essays. She tisked at the major details the writer of one particular paper seemed to forget. She scribbled yet another note on the parchment when there was a soft knock at the door.<p>

"Come in," she called as she scribbled a 'T' at the top of the scroll.

She heard soft footsteps; ones of a student. Minerva looked up at an uncertain looking Ursula Black. She let her shock show on her face for just a moment before it turned into the regular impassive look she had mastered over the years.

"Miss Black, what a surprise- it's after curfew." She said looking up at the clock.

Once again to her surprise, Ursula looked rightfully abashed, "Sorry Professor. I just needed someone to talk to and you said that your door was always open but you probably didn't mean at eleven o'clock on a school day. Sorry, I'll just be on my way."

Ursula spun on her heals and started to leave the room, but with a wave of her wand, McGonagall stopped the small girl in her tracks. The behavior of her student was frightening. Usually Ursula was causing mischief or causing some sort of ruckus with a smile on her face. All of her usual confidence was gone and Minerva had to wonder what on Earth had happened to make Ursula act like this.

"You will do no such thing. What is bothering you?" Minerva asked as she got out her tin of cookies she got from the house elves earlier that day. Ursula put two pieces of parchment on the desk before she grabbed one of the lemon flavored cookies.

McGonagall looked down at the papers and then up at the young girl but Ursula gave her no indication on what the letters were about. So Minerva picked up the first one and started to read.

_Dear Ursula,_

_My name is Catherine Lupin and while I have not had the pleasure of meeting my son, Remus, has told me many wonderful about you and your brother. While the Christmas holidays are so far away, I was wondering if you and your brother would be interested in spending the second week of your Christmas vacation at our home. We would love to have all of Remus's friends over for the holidays and we have already spoken to most of the rest's parents. It is just your response we are waiting on. If you feel pressured or if you or anyone in your family is uncomfortable with the situation, please feel free to write back and express any concerns._

_Have a wonderful term,_

_Catherin Lupin_

Minerva looked up from the letter, wondering how this kind letter could get Ursula so upset. Ursula made a motion with her hand to read the other letter.

_Sirius and Ursula,_

_Due to your behavior at last year's Christmas gathering, your mother and I have decided to ask you to stay at Hogwarts for your holiday break._

_~Your Father_

Now she understood. Her hand tightened slightly and crinkled the paper. How could a parent treat their children this way? Sure, the Black children might be a little more on the rebellious side, but they were still children that needed their mom and dad.

"How am I supposed to tell them?" Ursula asked softly.

"Who?" McGonagall asked, wondering who she was referring to.

Ursula sighed, "How am I going to tell Sirius that our parents don't want us home for Christmas. Or explain to Regulus that we aren't going to be there for Christmas for the first time since he was born. Or to Mrs. Lupin that we can't go spend part of Christmas break with them because we can't leave Hogwarts. Or to the rest of our friends on why we couldn't see them?" Ursula asked, all the questions seeming rhetorical in her mind.

Only, while she was asking those questions, she didn't see the determination building behind the Transfiguration Professor's eyes.

"Ursula," the child started at the use of her first name, "when one is in Gryffindor, you find that certain rules have ways around them. Give me some time to try to work things out but in the mean time, I suggest you telling your brother and your friends about the situation. They will understand, trust me."

Ursula smiled, "I do Minnie. Thanks for listening."

The younger girl jumped from her seat and started to walk out of the room. McGonagall almost laughed at the obvious change in the girl, but she couldn't help but say at her retreating back,

"It's Professor, Miss Black, you will do well to remember that."

Ursula didn't turn around but she waved behind her back while replying, "Alright Professor Minnie."

Minerva shook her head, she could never win; not with that group. And to be perfectly honest, she didn't want to.

* * *

><p><em>So only James made the team this year. What that will mean for the rest of the characters, well, I don't want to give a lot away (also because I am on the fence about the idea) but it is likely that DobbysArmy will be a very happy reader in a year or so (a year in the story, not real life!) But you never know what might happen in a year. You might get some say in it if you review! So tell me, Ursula- chaser or beater? I think I know what I am going to do (something like 80% sure) but I am interested in seeing what you guys think.<em>


	33. End of the Term: Part One

"I expect everyone to finish their essay to the qualifications," Professor Avery said, giving the entire class a look at the end of that day's lesson, "but I have decided to change things."

He had been leaning on his desk but now he pushed himself off and started roaming around the front of the room.

"Whoopdie de," Elyse muttered under her breath. Her head was resting on her hand and as soon as she said it, her head slipped and rested on top of the table. Remus snorted, unfortunately attracting the attention of the professor that hated them.

Avery stalked over to their desk and placed his palms face down on top of the desk. "Do you have something to say, Lupin?" Avery asked, in a deadly soft voice.

Remus shrunk back in his seat and shook his head, unable to look the teacher in the eye.

Avery smirked slightly, "I thought so. What about you O'Brian? Have anything you want to say to the class?"

Elyse lifted her head up, looked him straight in the eyes, and said, "Nope," before letting her head fall back into the nest her arms created.

Avery stood straight up and looked down at the pair in horribly disguised disgust, "Head up, O'Brian."

She lifted her head up and looked at him with bored eyes. He looked down at her and spoke softly, but the rest of the class was clearly able to hear him say, "It's a good thing you had nothing to say O'Brian; I doubt that anyone would be able to understand that gibberish you call English."

Her cheeks flushed bright red as she jumped up from her seat and started yelling, "YEH BLOO-"

Remus jumped from his seat and covered her mouth with his hand. Ben jumped up from the seat behind them and wrapped his arms around her to stop her from grabbing her wand. She struggled against them but eventually realized that she was no match for two much taller and stronger boys. She settled for giving Avery the harshest death glare she could muster.

Avery just looked at them with a cold smile, "Detention, all of you, that includes you too Potter, Pettigrew, Blacks."

"What! We didn't even do anything!" Sirius shouted.

Ben and Remus turned their heads to see what was going on in the seats behind them. It would have been funny in any other situation; Sirius and the rest were practically in a mirror image. He and James had moved to hold down Ursula's arm, who had tried to jump up to defend her friend. Peter had both his hands covering her mouth, too. Ursula looked about ready to hex Avery to the next half of the next century.

The professor just raised an eyebrow, "I'm sure had your sister not been restrained, she would have done something. If you three weren't subduing her, then there is no question about you two would have tried to hex me. That is simply unexcusable."

"Let me get this straight," Remus spoke up, his voice tight, "you're giving us detention because we _might_ have done something. I thought students were only to be given detention if they actually committed an offense."

"Another detention of you Lupin. Now, I can keep handing out detentions or you and your little friends can shut your mouths and listen to what I have to say before I was so rudely interrupted." He gave Elyse a look before he returned to the front of the class.

"Now, as I was saying, I have decided that if I give you an O on your essay, then you will be exempt from the winter assignment. The amount of homework gets higher the lower the grade. Class is dismissed; leave your essays on the desk next to the door." He disappeared up the stairs into his office while the rest of the Gryffindors angrily turned their paper's in.

As the group made their way to Gryffindor Tower, they all said a couple things that made a first year walking by blush and some sixth years laugh loudly. Elyse, once she calmed down enough, asked Ursula, "Why d'yeh jump oop?"

"I don't care if he insults me but I will not let him insult my friends." She bristled. She opened her mouth to say something else, but she froze. A dark head of curly hair disappearing into a mob for students wearing Slytherin robes caught her attention.

"I have to go! I'll see you guys later at Ben's concert!" She shouted back at them as she jogged to try to find her brother.

"Don't forget the plan!" James shouted after her before he led everyone to Gryffindor Tower.

She jogged through the throng of students, trying to catch sight of her little brother. They were leaving for Christmas break in a week and while she had told Sirius about the letter, she hadn't had the time to tell Regulus yet. It was just one thing that was still weighing heavily on her mind; the other being that McGonagall hadn't talked to her about what would happen during Christmas Break.

Suddenly, Ursula saw him.

"Regulus!" She shouted to get his attention.

Regulus stopped walking and turned towards her. He smiled when he saw her and waited for her.

"'ello Ursula. What's going on?"

She smiled grimly when he immediately picked up on her mood. She put her hand on his shoulder and gave it a quick squeeze before letting go.

"I got a letter from mum a couple of weeks ago. Sirius and I aren't going home from Christmas this year."

The look on his face broke her heart. She tried to reach out to comfort him but he jerked back.

"Regulus..."

He shook his head, "I don't want to hear it. All you ever do is leave." He muttered before he practically ran to his common room.

Ursula looked at his retreating from with a heavy heart. She groaned in frustration and kicked the wall. Why did brothers have to be so complicated?

* * *

><p><em>I know this really isn't a full chapter, not yet at least. Part Two of this should be up sometime tomorrow. I jsut felt that I owed you guys somethings since I haven't updated in almost a week. Things have become really busy right now but they should be settling back down after the weekend. Don't forget to review andor say which position you think Ursula should play in Quidditch. (I think we all know DobbysArmy's preference) _

_Also, I don't know if you have read them or not, but if you haven't, go check out the other two pieces that I wrote that go along with this. Just click on my profile and they will be under my stories._


	34. End of the Term: Part Two

_Here's the second part to what was supposed to be Chapter Thirty-Three! Sorry about the slight delay again, but I think that the 2,070 word chapter below is enough compensation. Please enjoy_

* * *

><p>Ursula stood still a moment before she walked back towards Gryffindor Tower. It was Ben's first concert, a Christmas Concert, that night. It was to be a final goodbye before break and everyone went back home. Ben's friends knew how nervous he was about performing in front of the school so they had something planned for their fire-haired friend. She found them in the boys' dorm; Ben had already gone down to warm up.<p>

"Finally! We though Snivellus kidnapped you or something!" Peter exclaimed when she walked in.

Ursula laughed loudly when she saw the scene she had entered. No longer was Elyse the only red head in the room; they had changed their hair color to match the vibrant red that Ben had. To say the least, red was not their color.

"Lookin' good Pete. Now, redify me," she commanded to either Remus or Elyse, the two best in charms. Since Remus was still in the process of changing James's hair as it was being as stubborn as usual, Elyse walked over and commanded Ursula to sit on one of the beds.

She started waving her wand around her and slowly, Ursula could see her thick, curly raven locks turning red. It was an odd feeling, seeing your hair change like that. After Elyse was done, she stood in front of Ursula to admire her work. She nodded appreciatively ,

"It suits yeh. I like it." She decided.

Ursula raised an eyebrow and went to look in the mirror. When she got a look at her new hair color, her eye brows went up in shock. It _did_ look good. She turned back towards her friends and had to stifle a laugh when she saw her brother. He looked ridiculous.

"Okay guys, everyone have their robes?"

They all held up the black robes that had some…slight modifications to say the least.

James clapped his hands together, "Everything's set. I sent Peter down to reserve seats for us while we Remus and Elyse started on our hair." He explained for Ursula's sake.

"Let's rock and roll people. It's show time." James said with a roughish grin on his face. He wasn't the only one; all of them looked quite pleased with themselves. Their dear friend Ben would be in for a rude awakening.

* * *

><p>Ben rocked side to side on his feet. He peaked around the corner to looking into the Great Hall. The concert was to start soon and the Hall was slowly filling up. He felt a trickle of sweat go down his face, there were a lot more people here than he thought there would be. A lot more people there meant a lot more people comparing him to his sister.<p>

Yes, he was a White. His dad was the Minster for Magic. He was a Gryffindor. He was the little brother of Annabelle White; but he wasn't her. Everyone expected him to be a hot headed, bold, outspoken, prankster, athletic Gryffindor. In essence, they are quite the opposites (except the prankster and being sorted into Gryffindor thing) when one considers them.

"Everyone attention!" Flitwick said from in front of them, clapping his hands together to get their attention.

Ben snapped out of his thoughts and focused on the tiny professor.

"Tonight is your first concert of the year!" He exclaimed, jumping a little bit "Do not feel any stage fright. Everyone that is coming to listen is going to be there because they love music. But if there is someone here for the wrong reasons, let me know, I'll show them a trick or two." He joked, brandishing his wand and swishing it around his head.

The choir laughed, Professor Flitwick's skills were legendary. He chuckled along with them before he spoke again, "This is the spirit! Let's go out there and give this school the best concert it's ever seen!"

The students cheered before they lined up to enter the Great Hall from behind the head table. He followed the boy in front of him until he was in his place. He turned to look out in the audience and panic over took him. The entire crowd was filled. He had only performed for his family and his close friends before. He was about to panic when something red caught his eyes. His jaw dropped to the floor.

Sitting in the front row were six Gryffindors all with bright red hair. They were holding back their laughter at the face he was making but once they were all able to control themselves, they jumped from their seats and they surprised him again.

On their black robes were giant enchanted letters that spelled out GO BEN! They stood up proud at their work with the letters that changed from red to gold at random intervals and they started cheering Ben on while clapping their hands. By now, most of the audience, who had been waiting quietly and patiently, turned to look at the group that was causing a ruckus.

Warmth filled his heart as he held back the loud laugh that was threatening to burst from his lips. Suddenly all the fears he had about performing seemed to slip from his body and he sang his heart out for all of Hogwarts to hear and if they didn't like it or they thought it was girly, well bully for them.

The concert went by extremely fast for Ben. It didn't seem like Silver Bells was long enough and he was convinced they could have sang more than twelve verses for The Twelve Days of Christmas but alas, the concert ended and Flitwick led them back to the room so they could hand in their choir robes.

Flitwick stopped to talk to him.

"I saw you're friends today Mr. White. They are quite skilled at Charms yet they never seem to pay attention in my class." He said with a teasing smile.

Ben laughed, "They do sir, trust me. The talking- yeah, that's them debating something you taught us. They just pick up on things quickly."

Flitwick chuckled as he started to walk away, "I suspected so when I had to correct myself when I said the levitation charm can't be used on multiple objects at once. I'm sure one of my books and my glasses are up there somewhere. Ah well, have a wonderful break Mr. White."

Ben wished him a happy holiday before he ran out to the hall to find his friends still waiting for him. James smiled widely when he walked closer,

"There's our little violin boy! Wicked job, mate." James congratulated him with a pat on the back.

Ben couldn't respond since he was doubled up laughing. His friends were still in their letter robes and their hair was still the same color as his own. It was just too ridiculous to look at.

"Sorry guys," he wheezed out once he got control of himself. "It's just too much. You look like fools"

Sirius moved some of the red hair out of his eyes, "It got you to calm down didn't it?"

Finding no fault with his logic, he laughed once again before throwing his arms around Elyse's and Ursula's shoulders,

"And how did the lovely ladies like the concert?" He asked them as they started towards Gryffindor Tower.

"I loved it." Ursula said before Elyse went into a long description about all of her favorite songs. Out of seemingly nowhere, another red head joined the group.

Lily started when she saw her year mates in their unusual looks. She stared at them, whatever she was going to tell them dying on her lips.

"What do want Evans?" James asked her after a moment.

Lily seemed to gather herself and she glared at James, "I was here to get Ursula, Potter. McGonagall can to the Tower to talk to you but you weren't there."

"Is she still there?" Ursula asked, ducking out from under Ben's arm.

Lily shook her head, "She told me to bring you to her office. I don't know what it's about." Lily added when she saw Ursula open her mouth again.

Ursula shrugged and turned to face her friends, "Sorry guys, I'll see you later tonight, okay?"

The all nodded and continued their way to Gryffindor Tower. Lily led her towards the Transfiguration rooms. They were silent for a good minute before Lily started to talk,

"Ursula, may I ask you something?"

Ursula looked at Lily oddly, "I thought we were past the formal acquaintance stage after living with you for two years?"

Lily just rolled her eyes but she remained serious, "I know that you're having some family problems, especially with your little brother-"

"Which one?" Ursula quipped.

The muggleborn girl looked confused for a moment, "You're older than Sirius?"

Ursula puffed her chest out slightly, "By six minutes." She said proudly, hoping to somehow distract Lily with the direction the conversation was going.

"Weird," Lily muttered before she refocused on her previous thought, "but as I was saying, I was wondering if you wanted me to talk to Severus and ask him to keep an eye out for your brother?"

Ursula shook her head adamantly, "No, I don't want Snivellus anywhere near my brother."

Lily stopped and put her hands on her hips,

"Listen, I know you and the rest of your lot doesn't like Severus, but you need to look past that. Would you rather have my friend, the boy that taught me all about magic, influence your brother or do you want Mulciber to get buddy-buddy with Regulus?"

"That's not fair! How about we compromise. Have Snape promise that if he will just keep on eye on Reg and stop him from joining any future Death Eaters, okay? I don't want him influenced one way or another."

Lily smiled and nodded, "I think that can be arranged. Oh, one more thing…"

"What could you possibly want?" Ursula asked with mock annoyance.

Lily chuckled before continuing, "I just want you to know that if you ever need a place to go to over Summer holiday or Christmas Break, you can always owl me. My parents would love to have you and Sirius over since I don't think you would leave your brother. I guess I would just have to deal with Sirius. And here we are, Professor McGonagall's office is right here. Toddles." She waved and disappeared around a hallway.

Ursula stared gobsmacked after her friend. Shaking her head, she opened the door and walked into McGonagall's office.

"Professor…?" Ursula asked the seemingly empty room.

All of a sudden, a cat jumped from a bookshelf and landed as her Transfiguration teacher. Ursula jumped back in shock and surprise, "BLOODY HELL!"

"Watch your language, Miss Black." McGonagall said in a stern voice but the corners of her mouth were twitching upward ever so slightly. "I happen to have good news for you."

"What?" Ursula asked.

This time McGonagall really smiled, "I went to speak to Dumbledore about you're and your brother's situation and we came up with a solution. We just needed to hear back from someone and I just got the post back a few hours ago."

"What did it say? Who was it from?" Ursula asked quickly.

McGonagall laughed softly before saying, "All I can say is this; you are going home for the holiday. The person taking you will explain everything. It will be a surprise."

Ursula nodded and was about to leave when McGonagall spoke again,

"Oh and Black?"

She turned around and waited for her teacher to speak. McGonagall had a slightly lopsided smile on her face, "You're hair is quite an interesting color. It suits you."

Ursula's barking laugh was heard down the hallway.

The next day, Ursula and Sirius were anxiously waiting to find out who they were going with for the holiday. They couldn't figure out who would be able to bend the rules for them and take them from Hogwarts if they weren't their parents.

James had tried to reassure them while devouring a chocolate frog, "Don't worry about it. If it's some distant wackjob cousin or something, just tell them that you're best friends' dads are a former Auror, an obliviator, and the Minister or freakin' Magic. They won't mess with you then."

To say the least, when they stepped off the train and onto the bustling platform, they weren't sure who to look for. They wandered around the platform until they decided to stand towards the of the platform until whoever was going to take them showed up. The crowd was rapidly thinning when someone shouted from behind them,

"SIRIUS! URSULA!"

The spun around and their eyes widened at the sight in front of them.

"Surprise!"

They stared a little longer until Sirius broke out of it first and exclaimed, quite loudly,

"WHAT THE HELL?"

* * *

><p><strong><em>So who is it? I want to hear your guesses! If you don't want to guess, still leave a little review so I know that you like that story. There have been a lot more reviews lately and I love it but I still wish more people would review! I know people are reading this (more than 2,000 hits) but only about five different people have left a review at some point in the story. Just pointing it out.<em>**

**_Lauren- Irony: I was plotting this chapter out and I was trying to figure out how to include a little bit of Lily in this chapter because I left like I was ignoring her when I decided to check fanfiction. I saw your review and laughed a little at the irony. I want to assure you that Lily will become a much more dominate character in the story once they get older. It will be a natural progression, but don't worry, she will be a main character later on._**


	35. Winter Beach House Escape

Ursula finally snapped back to reality and with a joyous laugh, she ran forward to hug Uncle Alphard around the waist. He chuckled at her enthusiasm and wrapped his arms around her for a moment.

"I take it you're happy to see me?" He asked while still laughing at Ursula's reaction.

"Hell yes!" Sirius exclaimed as he walked forward. Alphard wrapped his arms around Sirius's shoulders while laughing at their reactions.

"Where's your stuff? I'll explain everything once we get back to the apartment."

Ursula and Sirius ran back to where they were standing and grabbed their trunks before racing back over to their uncle. With a wave of his wand, the trunks disappeared; assumingly back to his house, before he grabbed the upper part of their arm.

"We're going to apparate so be prepared," he warned them.

Unlike last time, the twins were expecting the apparition so when they finally stopped the nauseating journey, they didn't fall flat of their faces.

Ursula looked around the room she found herself in. It wasn't that large but it was filled with mismatched furniture that looked like it belonged from exotic places. Strange, vibrant colors plants and intricately made rugs decorated the living room. There was a large glass window that looked over the Atlantic Ocean. The icy waves crashed upon the rocks about fifty yards away from the back patio.

"Welcome to my humble abode." Alphard said while making a sweeping motion with his arm around the room. "This is the main room; you can find something from every country I've been to in here."

"Merlin, you must have been everywhere," Sirius said in awe as he observed when appeared to be a totem pole.

Alphard chuckled, "I've been around the world three times and twice on a camel. I've been places Sirius my boy! Now, we have so much to see with so much time!"

He motioned for them to follow him before he disappeared behind a bunch of beads that looked like they were made from different spheres of wood that led into another room.

Sirius and Ursula looked at each other and he whisper shouted excitedly, "This is freaking awesome!"

His sister shared his excitement, "I know!"

They scurried to catch up to him. When they got past the beads, they felt like they were at the beach. The tiles on floor were a sand color and the kitchen cabinets were pure white with pale blue stone counter tops. There was an island in the middle of the room but it was no normal island. Coming up from the middle in a column was a glass aquarium that had live fish that went all the way to the ceiling. The wall right across from them was solid but Alphard appeared to charm it to look like the ocean in the summer time.

"This is the kitchen. Feel free anytime to take whatever you want. A lot of people would have my head if you two showed up looking malnourished. Any questions so far?" He asked them.

"Yeah," Ursula began, "how are we here?"

Alphard smirked, "Well dear Ursula, I thought your parents have told you to story about how you got here. I don't know the specifics but I'm guessing that you mother and father drank a little too much wine and-"

"Not that!" She exclaimed while Sirius chuckled from where he was standing on the chair to look at the aquarium closer. "The rule is that you have to go _home_. Nice as this is, this isn't our home." She pointed out.

Alphard regarded her for a moment with appraising eyes that still somehow kept their lightness, "Nothing gets past you does it? Don't ever change that- that could one day save your life. But as for how you are here, the rule is not that you have to go home per say. The actual rule states that a student must leave King's Cross station with a blood relative with the intent to go to a safe and secure place and stay under the supervision of an overage wizard for the two weeks."

The pieces clicked together in Ursula's mind and she smiled, "That's wicked. But how did McGonagall know to contact you? Mum and dad have a bunch of other relatives that aren't as insane as they are; how did they know to pick you?"

"That," he said as he started to walk to the next room, "is for me to know and you to find out. Come on, there is more of the house to see.

Ursula simply turned around to follow her uncle but Sirius had to jump off the high bar chair to scamper after them.

"Wait for me!" He shouted after them.

Two hours later, Uncle Alphard left the twins alone to unpack in their separate rooms. Ursula was just about sit down at the desk in the room and write a letter to her friends to let them know what had happened after they left with their families. Knowing them, they were worried that she and her brother had gotten kidnapped by the Malfoys or something along those lines. While none of them had ever met Alphard Black, they had heard a lot from the Black twins about him and it seemed that they had formed a positive opinion of him so they would be glad to hear he was the one that they were with.

Sirius knocked on the door just as she picked up the quill.

"Can you believe it?" Sirius asked her.

She shook her head in agreement as he made himself comfortable on her bed. It was not like the room she had last Christmas at the Potters', but it was still better than her room in Grimmauld Place.

"I can't. This is almost too perfect. I keep expecting Mother or Father to show up and tell us this is a joke and they will take us back." She said while leaning back in her chair.

Sirius shrugged indifferently, "They wouldn't. Even if they did, Uncle Alphard would go Flitwick on them and hex them to oblivion." He then noticed the five pieces of paper she had in front of her. "Writing to them?"

Ursula nodded and tapped the pieces of parchment with the end of the quill, "They said to write as soon as we were wherever we were going." She said slowly as a mischievous grin began to form on Sirius's face as she spoke. That usually meant nothing good for other people. "What are you thinking?"

He smirked, "They said to write when we got here. They never said to include details. Just tell them that we are safe at the moment and that we'll hopefully see them soon."

"Sirius!" Ursula brandished her brother. "That is horrible! They'll be worried sick about us!"

"Exactly. Come on Sissy! James gives as good as he gets but no one ever gets him! Think of this as payback for him blurting out our secret at the beginning of the year." He reasoned with her.

Ursula cursed her brother's persuasiveness. After weighing her options (and trying to avoid Sirius's dog eyes) she conceded, but on one condition,

"All right! But I'm telling Elyse. I'll tell her not to tell the rest of the boys; don't worry." She assured him when she saw him open his mouth to argue. He grinned evilly, "perfect. Now write my minion! Write to your heart's content, for I command thee to—OOW! Be careful with that thing!" Sirius exclaimed as she jabbed his side with the pointy end of the quill.

She rolled her eyes and dipped the quill into the inkwell. Sirius glared at her but remained next to her to read the words she wrote.

_Dear James…_

* * *

><p><em>Dear James,<em>

_I hope that your journey home was safe and uneventful. Knowing you however, you probably caused some ruckus somewhere, somehow. Ours wasn't too bad. It's actually been quite eventful here. Things are moving so quickly and ideas are being tossed around like a Quaffle. _

_We just wanted to send an owl so you know that we are safe and alive and able to write letters. Since we will be seeing you soon, we don't really want to go into a lot of details. We'll have enough time to do that later. _

_See you in a week!_

_Your awesomest friends,_

_Ursula and Sirius Black_

When James finished reading, he threw the letter to the ground in annoyance. He has specifically told him to write them the second they got to wherever they were going. He knew that was slightly unreasonable so he decided to give them three hours after the train made it to the station. The letter arrived _eight_ hours later and _without_ any important information. Was it that hard to write whoever had taken them? It was just a simple little name. Two words, maybe three if the person had a title or something.

His mother noticed the angry look on his face. She put down her book and looked at him with her warm hazel eyes,

"What's wrong James, dear?"

"Stupid Blacks." He spat out, glaring at the letter.

Mrs. Potter stifled a laugh at her son's blatant annoyance with his friends. She knew he wasn't angry at them at all; he was worried.

Mr. Potter on the other hand snorted from his spot in the Potter living room from behind the newspaper, "Spoken like a true Potter. Good job son." He said.

James just huffed again and stalked up to the room, missing the looks his parents gave each other.

The Blacks may not know it but they were in for a hell of a surprise when they got to the Lupins'. A surprise in the form of an irate friend who was going to have them have it. No one messed with James Potter and got away unscathed.

Well, maybe his mom, but she didn't really count.

But the Blacks did count and they would learn what happens when you make James Potter worry out of his mind for his two closest friends.

* * *

><p><em>Yeah, so I didn't really know how to end it so I'm sorry if it seems a little abrupt andor weird. The next chapter is going to be a little less character interaction wise. I am currently contemplating doing the next chapter partially from Alphard's pov so I would love to hear any ideas about that, mainly if you would like to see that happen. _

_Don't forget the** REVIEW**! It's what keeps me writing (quicker) so if you want to see this end before the next school year (by end I mean by the end date in the summary) and maybe quite possibly start the sequel, I am going to need a little encouragement! So please take some time out of your day to give a little something back. It will be highly appreciated._


	36. Christmas with Uncle Alphard

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Alphard rolled over a groaned and tried to cover his ears with his pillow. But the incessant tapping on the window and the occasional hoot from the owl finally forced him to throw the snug blanket off, exposing him to the biting cold air. Grumbling about stupid bird that should be served on a Christmas table, he swung his leg over the bed. He groaned as his stiff muscles and weary bones protested the sudden movement.

He hobbled over to the window in his pure exhaustion. However, the snapping cold air that assaulted him when he opened the window broke him from his sleepy haze. He grabbed the letter and opened the window a little farther to let the poor owl he now recognized as Diablo, his sister's devil bird.

"Why on Earth…?" He muttered to himself as he watched Diablo fly circles around his room.

He opened the letter and began to read.

_Alphard,_

_You unintelligent, incorrigible devil spawn! To think that you once lived under the roof of the house I call my home perturbs me to no end. Filthy, vile, ungrateful bloodtraitor twit! Do you think that I have forgiven your mortifying behavior last Christmas? Who do you bloody think you are, taking my children away from Hogwarts? They are NOT allowed to leave the school unless accompanied by a parent! Believe me when I say, you bumbling idiot, that the school board will hear about this and I will have that crackpot Dumbledore removed faster than you can say mudblood._

_You will send both of my children back to me immediately, Alphard. _

_There is no option._

_-Walburga_

Alphard snorted and quickly summoned some paper and a quill. He put the paper against the wall as he wrote.

_-Wally,_

_Hell no._

_-Alphard_

He whistled for Diablo to swoop down so he could attach the note to his leg. Once the note was secrete, the owl quickly twisted around so it pecked Alphard quite hard on the hand and purposely knocked into his head as it flew out the window.

Alphard cursed the bird as he healed his wounded hand with a simple healing charm. He looked up at the clock as saw that it was already close to noon. Since the twins arrived yesterday, they had all been exhausted by all the excitement. Deciding that he wasn't going to get to go back to sleep, he grabbed his slippers and his robe before walking out to the kitchen.

He sat down at one of the bar stools and with a wave of his wand, the kitchen sprang to life to start preparing breakfast for him and his houseguests.

He sighed heavily as he looked out into the enchanted wall. He had always loved the sea ever since he was a little boy. Growing up in a place like Number 12 Grimmauld, one would always find himself trapped in darkness and melancholy. While the rest of his sadistic family thrived off those auras, he became an introvert only to find himself again at Hogwarts (It hadn't helped however that his common room was in the dungeon). The shores of the Black Lake, that he joking told friends he owned, became his escape. He had literally spent hours standing about knee deep in the water as it moved back and forth, soaking his robes in the clear water. It was the most peaceful he ever felt in his life so when he graduated and had a falling out with the rest of his family, he moved as close as possible to the sea. To ensure that he would always have a little bit of brightness and warmth in his life even during the harsh winter months, he turned his kitchen into the beach. It was the most relaxing place he had ever found and if he was given the option, he would never leave the room.

There was a particularly loud snore from the direction of the twin's rooms. Alphard smiled fondly to himself as he thought about his young niece and nephew sleeping just a few doors down. He had never had any children, his life devoted had been devoted to personal expression and worldly exploration. But now as he thought about the children that looked enough like him to be mistaken as his own, he felt a sense of family he hadn't felt since he was a small child.

Sirius was the boy that Alphard wished he had been. When he was a child, he never had the courage to stand up to his family like Sirius did. No, he would take it silently and never fight back. That was probably why he got sorted into Slytherin compared to Sirius getting into Gryffindor. While part of him wished that his nephew had been sorted into his old house, he was inanely proud of Sirius. He understood that Slytherin was no longer the house that he had known; it had changed drastically. While he had been there to witness the bitter rivalry between Gryffindor and Slytherin, there had still been some wiggle room. So for Sirius to get out of there, to get sorted in Gryffindor, Alphard could wish nothing better for his brave and headstrong nephew. Still, fears still haunted his mind of Sirius taking it too far one day. All he had to say was the wrong word to the wrong person…. But Alphard hoped to help guide the boy before it got to that point.

Ursula was still an anomaly to him. While he had heard that she was a headstrong and bold girl, he had heard firsthand accounts from his sister about all the times she beat Ursula and the girl had done nothing. That contradiction worried him. There was something holding her back, something keeping her from defending herself. Even if she was playing the martyr, while that was commendable, there was still a chance that someone could manipulate her weak spot. Yes, she was an intelligent girl, both twins were, but a smart mind is nothing without unwavering morals. She was still young but that didn't mean much in the world they were living in.

The smell of almost complete food brought Alphard out of his thoughts. He didn't hear any noise from the twin's rooms so with a mischievous smile, he grabbed a large pot from under the counter and a large wooden spoon. He walked down the hallway and he gently opened Ursula's door.

He was surprised to see both twins in the bed. Sirius was lying at the foot of the queen sized bed with the blankets wrapped around him. Ursula was lying towards the top of the bed but the blankets only went to her waist. At some point in the night she must have caught a chill for she grabbed her robes and pulled them on top of her.

Alphard smirked; two is better than one.

He gently placed the pot and spoon on the ground while he grabbed his wand from his pocket. He pointed his wand at the kitchen items and there was a moment of peaceful silence before chaos erupted in the room.

The loud clanging sound surprised the shocked twins. Sirius flung around wildly trying to remain on the bed, but it was fruitless. He fell off the edge and seeing as Ursula was also twisted in the blanket, he pulled her down too. Laughing too hard to keep the spell working, Alphard doubled over laughing. The twin's heads popped up from under the blankets, their hair mused up and sleep still in their matching eyes.

"What was that for!" Sirius shouted at him.

Alphard shrugged as if he didn't have two angry twelve year olds glaring at him.

"Breakfast is almost ready and I thought I would share some food with my little house guests."

At the mention of food, Sirius and Ursula somehow untangled themselves and they sprinted into the kitchen. Alphard laughed after them, they were truly Blacks.

After breakfast was done Alphard cleaned the dishes with a simple flick of his wand. He turned to face the twins,

"Alright you two, I was thinking at we go out and pick a Christmas tree from the woods not far from here. Then I'm sure we can find some Christmas decorations somewhere in this house. So what do you say?"

To say the twins agreed would be an understatement.

Seven hours later, after hunting for the absolute perfect tree, a vicious snowball fight following their selection (Sirius and Ursula ganged up on Alphard in the end to secure a win), an epic search for an old box of ancient decorations, and after the completely covered the tree in tinsel and ornaments and candy canes, they collapsed on the couch in exhaustion.

Lazily, Alphard waved his wand and three cups or hot coco floated towards them. Two of them were unnecessary however, as both twelve year olds had fallen asleep on the sofa.

His back flaming in pain from all the activity, Alphard decided to not use magic on either of them and he gently picked up Sirius like a small child and carried him to his room. After tucking him in, he walked back to the living room, resting his hand on his back. He was getting to old for this.

With a soft grunt, he lifted Ursula into his arms. He had just laid her down in her bed and brushed a little hair off her face before leaving the room.

"Uncle Alphard?" A soft voice said from behind him.

He halted in the middle of the doorway, "What do you need Ursula?" He asked her.

"This has been the best holiday we've ever had. Thank you," she mumbled in her sleepy haze.

Alphard smiled into the darkness, "No thank you."

But she never responded; she had been taken by the sandman into the fantastical world of dreams.

* * *

><p>Six days later, Ursula was awoken by her brother's scream of "PRESENTS!" She shot up in bed and was shocked when a piece of paper fell onto the floor. She scrambled to the end of the bed and practically dove over the edge of the bed to retrieve the paper.<p>

Not knowing who it was from (all of the presents Alphard and Sirius got her were under the trees and she would exchange gifts with her friends tomorrow and she agreed that she would trade gifts with her roommates when they got back) she tore open the letter quickly.

Dear Ursula,

I'm sorry about the way I acted before break and I think my present will make up for my stupidness. I hope you are having a good time at Hogwarts.

~Reggie

Ursula turned the envelope upside down. Into her hand fell a silver bracelet. There were plain links connecting reasonably large silver plates. On the outside there were three constellations; Canis Major, Leo, and the Ursa Major. It had been commonly accepted, that while she was named for her great-great grandmother, Ursula Flint, the constellation her mother always claimed she was named after was Ursa Major. On the insides of the corresponding constellations were their initials; U.W.B., S.O.B., and R.A.B.

She smiled widely as she put the bracelet on. Once it was around her wrist it magically adjusted itself so it fit perfectly.

"URUSLA! HAPPY CHRISTMAS!" Sirius shouted as he dived onto her bed after sprinting into her room. He bounced high in the air and momentum kept him going. He landed (with a terrified scream) with a painful sounding thud.

Ursula dissolved into a fit of laughter. This was the way Christmas was supposed to be; this was the absolute best Christmas she could remember celebrating with family.

* * *

><p><em>So there's Alphard's point of view. I hope it was up to everyone's expectations. The next chapter might be up this weekend, but it might not. I am going to be really busy in the next five days or so. My school is about to start testing the brains out of my head so I won't really have the time to be writing this. But fear not, even if there is a little break, the story will continue. In case you were curious, I just rewrote the last chapter of this entire story (it gives me a place to work towards) and even when I went back to read it...gah! I can't wait to share it with everyone! It gave me the chills and I was the one that wrote it! So review! Give ideas! Comment! Do something! There are a lot of people reading this but only two people consistently reviews (Thank you so much Lauren and DobbysArmy!) If I get more reviews, I write quicker!<em>


	37. Admissions, New Friendship, and Plotting

The Lupin house was unusually busy. Usually, they would be relaxing the day after Christmas and munching on the previous day's leftovers. His mother would usually be found curled up next to the fire reading a new book about Roman Mythology that she got from her husband. The said husband would probably be Remus would be cooped up in his room reading all the new books he got for Christmas. But this year was different.

"Remus, is your room clean!" His mother shouted from the kitchen where she was preparing a feast.

Remus rolled his eyes, "Mum, when was the last time it was dirty?" He asked as he walked into the kitchen to steal some chocolate frosting off the cake. He had just reached his hand out when a spatula came out of nowhere and wacked him on the hand.

He yelped and jumped back, holding his hand in pain and shock and regarded his mom with wide, shocked eyes, "Mum! How dare thee attack thy first born son!" Remus said in a scandalized voice.

She put her hand on her hip and gave him a look. He had the modesty to look sheepish, shrugging as if to say 'what can I say?' before he navigated his way through the kitchen to grab a banana for breakfast. He sat down on one of the chairs and looked at the food his mom was making.

"Mum?"

She didn't even pause while she was basting the turkey, "Hmm?"

"Are you planning on feeding all of Hogwarts with this food or the entire Ministry?"

She laughed softly and turned around and put her hand on his face gently, "I just want everything perfect when your friends and their families get here. Your father and I never thought you would have all these friends, so we wanted to go all out for this."

The tops of Remus's ears turned red while he rolled his eyes, "The faith you have in me astounds me."

"Remus," she said sternly, "You know that's not what I meant. With your…condition… and Remus, no matter how much you try to deny it, you were really shy when you went to Hogwarts. But then you got sorted into Gryffindor and met your friends and they've changed you for the better. I couldn't believe it when I saw Ursula jump up and give you a hug on the train a year ago. That was when I realized my baby had real, true friends; something that I had only dreamed of happening. Now the only thing that you need to worry about is them finding out, but I don't think they will any time soon so you have some time…what's with that look?"

As she spoke Remus's face had changed from embarrassed to guilty.

"Well, you see mom, they kind of know about the werewolf thing." He said, looking anywhere but at her face.

The silence was deafening. The color drained from his mother's face. She swayed on her feet and she grabbed onto the counter. Remus jumped up and went to steady her but she held her hand out to stop him.

"Please, please, _please_, tell me you are merely jesting," she begged of him.

He shook his head but began to frantically explain, "No, no they know. I didn't actually tell them, well I did, but that was only after Ursula figured it out. You see, they knew I was lying about something and they got mad at me but then Ursula somehow put all the dots together. She confronted me and said that she didn't care. With her encouragement, I told everyone else. They accepted it Mom! They actually help me when I need to think of excuses or alibis when I miss class," he said frantically, horrified that his mother was reacting like this. He should have never told her like this.

She didn't have time to respond before the door bell rang. Mr. Lupin shouted from the front room, "I've got it!"

Remus's mom was still staring at him, completely and utterly horrified. He had no time to explain before the revolving door slammed open and James walked into the kitchen, not even realizing that there was an adult in the room.

"REMUS! My good friend, great to see you! So I've been plotting about what we are going to do once we get back to Hogwarts. I struggled for days unable to figure it out but I refused to accept defeat since I am the amazing James Harold Potter. Then suddenly, it hit me like a bludger. Listen, I have an absolutely brilliant plan to break into Slughorn's store to see if we can find something to help your furry little problem. It might involve you, me, and Sirius getting detention but I-"

"Furry what?" Remus asked shocked, unable to comprehend everything James was saying at such a rapid pace.

James dismissed it with a wave of his hand, "I thought we needed a little code between us when discussing this at Hogwarts. We can't go around announcing you're a werewolf to everyone, you know? Anyway back to this plan; it's bloody brilliant! There is absolutely no way that any of this can go wrong. As an added bonus, we get to get Snape and possibly, now I know this is a stretch, but we might be able to get Avery in this somehow."

"James," Remus sighed in exasperation. His mother was right behind James looking at him in awe and shock.

James followed his friend's gaze and turned to face Mrs. Lupin. The hazel eyed boy was nonpulsed.

"Hello Mrs. Lupin, nice to meet you. I was just speaking in code. A detention means an Outstanding in our homework and breaking in means…um, Remus why don't you explain to your mother what breaking in means."

"Um, it's, getting extra credit in potion?" Remus finished the sentence like a question.

James facepalmed and started muttering things about thinking on your feet. Remus took immediate offence to that,

"I can think on my feet! I'm the one that got you out of detention with McGonagall when you sent your canary at that Hufflepuff girl in the hallway!"

"In my defense I was aiming at some sixth year Slytherin but Peter knocked into my arm!"

"With that aim, you couldn't hit the broadside of the castle!"

"Like you could do better!"

"I can! Remember when we had the mock duels? I was able to disarm you!"

James looked indignant, "So what? I transfigured your book into a miniature tree in Sprout's class the next day! Couldn't read anything after that could you?"

The two boys were going at it so they didn't hear the door to the kitchen open as Mrs. Lupin left and two other's walked in. The two red heads were leaning against the wall and regarding the two bickering boys.

"How long do you think they will go at it?" Ben asked Elyse loudly.

Elyse shrugged while she was holding back her laughter, "Eh, teh's boot really stubborn…" she trailed off.

Remus and James stopped and turned to see their friends.

"Violin boy! Me Leprechaun! You're here!" James went over to them and gave Elyse a quick hug before giving Ben a half hug, half handshake guy greeting.

"Where's everyone else?" Remus asked, wondering if the rest of his friends showed up while he and James had been bickering.

Ben shook his head, "Peter is in the front room. Ursula and Sirius aren't here yet."

"About those two," James said, looking annoyed suddenly, "does anyone know where they are? They wrote me a letter saying they were alive and safe but the prats never told me _who_ took them."

The boys all shook their heads in a convincing lie but Elyse couldn't hold back a smirk. James caught the look and turned on her, "You know." He accused pointing a finger at her.

She slowly inched towards the door, "No I don't."

"Yes you do! Ursula definitely told you! You girls tell each other everything!"

"I's sworn teh secrecy."

With that she darted out of the room. James sprinted after her, his speed increased compared to last year from Quidditch practice. Elyse's laughter echoed through the house while she ran into the front room. All of the adults tried to avoid the running teens. Elyse ran around Peter, using him as a human shield from her faster and more athletic friend. Peter, the poor boy, was so confused at what was going on so he just stood there, terrified. James was able to just brush his fingers against Elyse's arm so she sprinted around the left of Peter and towards the door. At that moment, she ran straight into the trio that just walked in the door.

A tall man held her shoulders so she didn't topple over. He laughed jovially as he set her straight on her feet.

"You must be Elyse, Ursula told me about you."

"Nice teh meet yeh sir," she said with her twinkling eyes.

James had stopped running and he looked at the elder Black with suspicious eyes, "Who are you?" James asked softly.

"You must be James. Messy hair and an attitude. Please to meet you. I'm Alphard Black. I'm the nice uncle."

James smiled, accepting the man immediately, and stuck his hand out for him to shake before he was violently yanked back by his father.

"BLACK! YOU STAY AWAY FROM MY SON!" Harold Potter brandished his wand at the new adult in the room as he pushed his son and Elyse protectively behind him.

Alphard did the same, standing in front of Ursula and Sirius while pulling out his own wand.

"Potter, I see we meet again."

Ursula stared in horror at the two men looking as if they were about to hex each other into oblivion. Uncle Alphard had always been calm (minus when dealing with his sister or extended family) and never showed aggression towards anyone else. Mr. Potter, while she didn't know him as well as James did (who looked equally horrified at his father's behavior) she never thought that he would act like this.

"You two know each other?" James asked in a strangled voice.

Mr. Potter's eyes never left Alphard's, "James, I want you to step away right now. You too, Ursula, Sirius; I don't want either of you to get hurt."

James, never doubting his father, immediately took five steps backwards but he still demanded to know how they knew each other.

"Your old man never told you? We were in the same year in Hogwarts. Different houses, of course, but we ran into each other from time to time," Alphard said menacingly as he jabbed his wand at Mr. Potter but never actually said a spell.

"Ursula, Sirius, get by James. This is the last time I will ask you." Mr. Potter's voice was tense and left no room for argument.

Sirius quickly ran between the two men to move next to James and Ben. Ursula, however stopped inbetween both men, "No, stop it this instant!" She ordered both men.

Out of seemingly nowhere, James grabbed her arm and pulled her to his side, "You don't want to get involved," he whispered in her ear as he held her against his body.

"This has gone on long enough, don't you think Alphy?" Mr. Potter taunted.

Something flashed in Alphard's eyes, "I quite agree, Harry," He sneered right back.

Mrs. Potter covered her face with her hands and Ursula swore she muttered, "Not again."

Suddenly, two bursts of blinding light erupted from the two men's wands.

"NO DAD!" James shouted but he turned away at the last second to cover his eyes. Ursula and Sirius had to look away too, for the light was simply too bright. When the dust settled, the young, almost teens turned around to see what befell their relative. Their mouths dropped open.

Alphard was…green. His skin had turned Slytherin green while his eye brows and a new, Dumbledore-like beard, were now a neon yellow. Mr. Potter was also a little different to say the least. His thick mop of silver hair was now fuchsia with feathers sticking out of it. His robes were covered in Technicolor feathers and his skin was yellow with purple pok-a-dots. The two men regarded each other before bursting out laughing and embracing each other like long lost friends.

"What the hell just happened?" James asked quite loudly.

Ursula was glad that he did ask; she was worried that she was the only one that didn't know this.

The two men, their arms over the other's shoulders, turned and Alphard began to explain, "You know that friend in Gryffindor I mentioned in that first letter I sent you?"

"Your best friend in Hogwarts was James's dad?" Sirius asked in shock. Sirius looked at James, surprise and complete disbelief plain on their faces.

Ben looked between the older Black and Potter to the younger ones and burst out laughing at their similar features. It was like looking into the future. They both had similar facial features of their male relative and even picked up some of their mannerisms. It was slightly eerie.

Now it was Mrs. Potter's turn to explain, "They were quite close, close as a Slytherin and Gryffindor could secretly be. They still occasionally get together and they act like they are still seventh years running around Hogwarts; like no time has passed at all."

Alphard smiled at Mrs. Potter and broke away from his friend to kiss James's mom on both cheeks, "Ah, Eva, still as beautiful and radiant as I remember."

James shook his head in sheer disbelief, "My dad, best friends with a Slytherin…impossible…" He trailed off, still shaking his head as he disappeared into the kitchen. The rest of them followed him to leave the adults to talk (and change themselves back to normal colors) about all the boring things in the wizarding world.

Later that night after presents had been exchanged and dinner had been devoured, the young Gryffindors found themselves sitting out on the back porch the adults put a warming charm on.

"So, I mentioned to Remus earlier that I had a brilliant idea on how to get into Slughorn's personal stores to get those 'dark books'; complete rubbish if you ask me, they aren't that dark. Now, what we need to do is get Peter to be partnered with Snape for potions-"

"What? Why me?" Peter whined.

James gave him a look that silenced him immediately, "Not that you should question it, but we need this to seem believable as possible for my plan to work. We are going to blow up Snape's potion but it would be too obvious if one of the top student's caldron's blew up brewing a simple potion. We need to do this when Remus is still in class. When's the next full moon?"

"It was the first day of break so we have some time," Remus told him.

James just nodded once before going back to explaining the plan, "With Remus still there, he will work with Ben. You two need to be in Sirius's usual spot, okay? We don't want to raise suspicion. Then Sirius and I will sit right behind Snivellus and Pete." Peter whimpered, "When the time is right Sirius and I will drop a Dr. Filibuster's Fabulous Wet-Start, No-Heat Firework in the potion. The explosion will give Ursula and Elyse time to get under the invisibility cloak and sneak into the store. From what I'm able to gather, the stuff on dark curses and maladies are in the back corner. Grab whatever you think looks promising, understand?" the two girls nodded solemnly though the effect was ruined when they low-fived each other and they both ended up smirking.

James rubbed his hands together, "Perfect. Now we just have to get back to Hogwarts."

None of them could wait.

* * *

><p><em>Hello again you wonderful readers you. I know you're out there but only two of you are reviewing. I have the statistics and there are about 50 people reading this story at the moment and while that may not seem like a lot, there are still 48 people not reviewing! Tell me what you think people! It seems quite unfair that only two people have reviewed the last twelve or so chapters. It's quite sad to be honest. So...<em>

_**REVIEW!**_


	38. New Year's Day

On New Year's Eve, the White house hold was bustling. Ben thought about it and if one more person entered the walls of the grand mansion, then it would surely explode. With his dad's recent appointment as Minister for Magic, he had practically the entire ministry in the entertaining wing of the house. If Ben was in that area he would know exactly what he would see. His father, Jay, would be working his way around the room. He would know everyone by name and ask how their sick cat was doing or inquire how their children (he would be able to name them all) were doing at Hogwarts. His mother, Cecilia would be speaking to some of her friends. If someone came to her for something, she would excuse herself and become the perfect hostess. Once it got closer to midnight, there was no doubt in his mind that he would hear the Grand Piano begin to play while she showed the skill he inherited from her.

But he wasn't there. No, he had left the party twenty minutes ago to go wandering around his house. The only times he stayed at the parties were when he and Annabelle would spend the whole evening people watching. But Anna had disappeared much earlier in the night so Ben got bored much quicker.

He just turned the doorknob to walk into his room when the said missing sister, appeared around the corner.

"Finally escape from the madness?" She asked him as she followed him into his room.

He nodded and sat down on his desk chair, "If one more person told me how much I look like Dad, I was going to explode." He said while rolling his eyes. "Why did you leave so early?"

Annabelle shrugged as she made herself comfortable on his bed, "I couldn't stand Mom's friends asking me when I was going to get married. Gideon and I are perfectly happy with our current arrangement; we don't need some piece of paper from the ministry to say we love each other." She said.

Ben shrugged, "That's true, but it would make mom happy. You know how bothered she is by you 'Living in sin' and every time Gideon shows up she asks him when he's going to make an honest woman out of you." He said referring to Annabelle's current living arrangement. Right out of Hogwarts, she got a flat with Gideon and Fabian Prewitt. Their mother wouldn't have been thrilled in the first place, but she would have been happier than when she found out there were only two rooms and Annabelle and Gideon shared a room and bed. While their mom would be considered a progressive by many people, she had a lot of traditional views on relationships.

Annabelle laughed, "She thinks it's going to be a white wedding. Last week I told her that no matter how many Whites show up, it's not going to be a 'white wedding' to anyone's standards." She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively while she said that.

Ben feinted getting physically ill while the tops of his ears turned red, "Merlin, Anna, I don't ever want to hear that! I could have gone my whole life never hearing that I would have died happy." He shuddered as he considered her statement.

She just laughed louder at his reaction and got up off the bed. She stretched, the hem of her purple organza gown raising a few inches off the ground.

"I'm going to go save Frank downstairs. His mother is probably embarrassing the hell out of him. Hey, did you see Benjy down there?" She asked him.

He shook his head, "Didn't see him. I saw the Weasley's though. Did Molly have another baby?" Ben asked. Their distant cousin Arthur's wife already had a little boy named Billius, or Bill as they all called him, and the last Ben had heard they were trying for a new baby, hopefully a girl this time. He figured that Annabelle would know more considering she was living with both of Molly's little brothers.

Annabelle nodded, "Molly just had a little boy at the beginning on the month, December 12th, I think. Named him Charlie. I gave the little tyke a stuffed dragon and according to Arthur, the kid doesn't put it down. I swear, he loves his Auntie Anna already; cutest thing in the world."

"When are you going to make me an uncle, then?" Ben asked out of curiosity.

"Not for a very, very, _very_, long time, Benny. Gideon are a little…how should I put this…" she trailed off.

Ben raised his eyebrows, "Getting things in Order," he said, emphasizing the last word. Annabelle looked at him a little shocked. She shook her head,

"I guess that was a little obvious in the letter I sent, huh? Gideon thought that you would figure it out but I thought you would just think that I drunk owled you. Yeah, we are getting things in order." She confirmed.

She nodded once and was about to walk out of the room when she said, "Oh, and Ben, check under your pillow. Your Christmas present wasn't ready before but I just got it this morning."

Ben stood up and quickly moved the pillow on his bed. While recognition showed on his face, the smile on Annabelle's grew while she leaned against the door frame. He gently picked up the object under his pillow and he couldn't believe was he was seeing.

It was the most intricate, beautiful, exquisite violin he had ever laid eyes on. The woodworking was obviously carved by hand and the turning knobs were made of soft ivory. The wood itself was made of the same wood as his wand, Cedar. It took his breath away with its beauty.

"Turn it over." Annabelle ordered him from the doorway.

He turned the instrument over and saw the engraving, "_When life gets tough, when it seems like everything is falling down, my wish for you is to play. Love, Annabelle_"

"I don't…I don't know what to say except thank you," he said in shock.

She shrugged, her cheeks turning a shade of red, "It was nothing really. Just don't expect any Christmas or birthday presents for the next six years."

He laughed, "Got it."

She smiled, "Good, now I'll be on my way."

Annabelle turned and she was about to leave the room when Ben suddenly said, "You know, Anna, I was thinking about it. Maybe adding some order to my life when I get older would be good for me."

She froze and rested her hand on the doorframe. She didn't turn around as she said softly, "Benjamin, if I do my job right, you won't need any. For your sake, I pray that I do."

With that she walked out of the room, not looking back.

* * *

><p>The next morning, an owl was waiting for him in the back porch. It was a snowy white owl that had specks of grey and black. Attached to its leg were five folded up letters; the one on top had his name written in a familiar scrawl. He grabbed an owl treat before he grabbed his letter and feed the owl. The owl hooted happily and nuzzled his (her?) head against his hand before it flew off.<p>

He opened the letter.

_Ben,_

_You gift was brilliant! We really appreciate the undetectable expansion bags. We are planning on testing if one of us could actually fit in one. If one of us doesn't show up, blame the remaining twin. Anyway, our birthday was awesome! Uncle Alphard brought us to the Potters and we spent the whole day with them. Honestly, Mrs. Potter had give children to deal with, not just three. But you won't believe was Mrs. Potter got us._

_SHE GOT US AN OWL!_

_That was the owl that gave you this letter. Sirius and I decided to name her Thalia, after the Greek Muse of Comedy. We thought it was rather fitting. You should be proud; we looked it up in a book. Shocking I know. We will give you some time to absorb that new development._

_James sends his best wishes and hopes that haven't been bored to death without us. We know how sneaky those books are, sucking out your soul little by little. Kind of like a dementor. _

_Anyway, since we know that you are going to be the first person on the train, save us the usually compartment alright? We know we are going to be running late and we don't want any pesky first year or some Slytherins to steal our compartment. We need to work out some of the finer details of out plans to get into Slughorn's private stores._

_See you on the train._

_Your friends,_

_Sirius, Ursula, and James_

Ben smiled. Ol' Sluggy was going to be in for a wakeup call, that was for sure.

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><p>This is going to be the last chapter before they finally get back to Hogwarts. I was going to have them going back to Hogwarts in this chapter, but I wanted to showcase the relationship between Annabelle and Ben. I hope you enjoyed their sibling interaction and found it believable.<p>

Oh, and anyone with Pottermore, the type of wood was chosen for a reason. Today when I got through Ollivander's, I went through all the wand woods and cores and carefully selected the woods and cores for all the characters that don't have it known in the series. For those that aren't on, haven't got that far yet, or are just too lazy to look it up, I chose cedar because owners of cedar wands are uncommonly loyal, have strong character, and you would never dare cross one if you intend harm against one of their loved ones. I thought it was a good fit for him. I thought that fit him and my plan for him.

Please don't forget to review. I appreciate everyone's reviews. Special thank you to Lauren and StormWithinHerEyes. Both reviews were, and are still, highly appreciated.

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	39. The Gryffindor Girls

I am so sorry about the delay in this chapter! I honestly am. School just caught up with me and it didn't help that I had writer's block trying to write this. Obviously I overcame that, but that's why it took so long to get out. Sorry again to anyone who has been waiting patiently for this new chapter.

Just in case: Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. The only thing I own are the characters you don't recognize from the story.

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><p>"Lily," Alice drawled slowly, "I'm bored!" she whined.<p>

The said red hair girl huffed and blew some of her face. She shrugged and continued to braid Ursula's thick hair into a French brain while bobbing to the music of a magically charmed radio that played all the popular wizard music.

"That's not my problem sweetheart. We have to wait for Marls before we exchange gifts."

Alice pouted, "But she'll take forever! I cannot stand it!" She flung herself dramatically on the bed and pulled her blankets over her head, fake sobbing.

"Yeh kin go through me clothes if yeh want while yeh wait," Elyse suggested.

Alice sprang up from the bed with a gleeful laugh and started going through all the muggle clothes that Elyse brought with her. By the time Marlene got out of the shower, Alice was no longer wearing her Gryffindor robes. She was wearing Elyse's bright, yellow, oversized shirt, Lily's neon green tights, Ursula's Slytherin green boots, Marlene's woven belt, and she was wearing her own heavy necklaces. Marlene looked at her in shock for a moment before she turned towards Lily and Ursula on the bed,

"What the hell happened to her?"

"She went through our clothes."

"Ah." That was all that needed to be said. Marlene walked over to her bed and grabbed her wand from the nightstand and quickly dried her hair. She then walked to the end of her bed and knelt down in front of her trunk. She dug around until she pulled out a rectangular package.

"Are we going to exchange gifts now?"

Elyse was about to answer when Ursula piped up, "Hell no! It's not even past curfew yet! Let's go maraudering around a bit before we exchange gifts."

While the rest of the girls seemed completely enamored by the idea, Lily bit her lip nervously.

"I don't know…I don't want to get in trouble."

Ursula snorted, "Lils, you don't have to worry. Even if we did get caught – which we won't – the teachers here love you; they would let you off in a heartbeat."

Lily still looked hesitant. Marlene, sensing her friend's doubt, taunted her, "That is unless you're scared."

"Let's go."

Twenty minutes later, their gifts shrunken and in their pockets, the girls were wandering near the elevated corridor. There was nothing much going on that night. It was cold but Lily, the charms prodigy, put warming charms on all their robes.

"We should play a game." Alice suggested while twirling down the hall.

"What do you suggest?" Lily asked, snuggling her chin into her Gryffindor scarf.

Alice's blue eyes sparkled as she explained her idea to the rest of them, "Instead of never-have- I- ever, it's never-_will_- I ever. If someone plans on doing what someone doesn't plan on doing, they have to…" Alice trailed off looking around the empty corridor trying to think of something that would make it interesting.

"How bout," Marlene suggested, "every time we would do something, we put one finger down. The first person to lose all their fingers has to go up to… steal a pair of Frank Longbottom's underwear."

Alice turned bright red while Lily looked absolutely horrified. Ursula and Elyse smirked at the challenge and mentally stored that idea away for another time.

To everyone's complete and utter surprise, Lily spoke, "Fine. I'll start. Never will I ever fail a class."

Marlene laughed and put one of her fingers down. Ursula shoved her on the shoulder, "What're you going to fail?"

"History of Magic. I've never been able to stay awake through a whole class."

The group laughed at the truth of that statement. No one except Lily was able to stay awake, let alone actually pay attention in that class. It was not just laziness on their part; it was a law of Hogwarts; if one takes History of Magic, they will fall asleep. It follows Hogwarts Logic.

"I've goot un," Elyse said with a smirk on her face, "Neva will I eva not get detention."

All but Ursula put a finger down. Ursula rolled her eyes, "Live a little, yeesh. Anyway, my turn. Never will I ever…" she held out the 'ever' for seemingly ever before she said, "become a prefect."

Only Lily put down her finger.

The game continued like that for a while. The girls were getting more and more outlandish, such as "Never will I ever dance with the Giant Squid" or "Never will I ever dance with Minnie." Some of them were targeted at certain people "Never will I ever prank the Slytherins". That one was quickly followed by, "Never will I ever date/kiss/shag a Slytherin."

The last one had Lily redder than the Gryffindor crest on her robes. In response she shouted back, "NEVER WILL I EVER MARRY JAMES POTTER!"

"Famous last words, don't you think Ali?" Marlene asked, nudging shoulders with the girl.

Alice smirked and nodded solemnly, "They could have beautiful little babies. Oh well, I guess that leaves James for Ursula."

"What!" Ursula exclaimed in shock. The rest of them burst out laughing and when Ursula realized they had just been messing with her, she joined them.

They were roaring with laughter at her reaction, holding onto each other and the walls to support each other when they heard it. It was a faint sound, something they wouldn't have picked up on but since the hallway was mostly empty it echoed. They all froze midstep and waited to listen to the mysterious sound again. It came a few seconds later.

There was someone softly crying around the corner, someone who didn't want to be found.

"It's okay Mar. Just ignore them," a soft voice comforted over the muffled sobs.

Ursula and Elyse shared a look between them before they looked around the corner. There were two small girls, one sitting on the ground with her head buried in her arms with her knees pulled up to her chest while her shoulders shook with sobs and the other girl was crouched next to her, rubbing the sobbing girl's shoulder. The two girls were familiar to the second year Gryffindor girls and not without reason. The two girls had Gryffindor crests on their robes and Ursula vaguely remembered them being sorted earlier that year.

"What's wrong sweetheart?" Lily asked, crouching down on the other side of the sobbing girl.

The girl jumped back in fright and the friend yelped in shock.

"Sorry," Lily immediately apologized. "I don't know if you know me but my name is-"

She was cut off by the girl standing up, "Lily Evans, Marlene McKinnon, Alice Creevey, Elyse O'Brian, and Ursula Black," she said, looking at each girl as she said their name. The mysterious first year smiled at their shocked faces, "Don't look so surprised. My aunt talks about you all the time."

There was something familiar about her eyes, Ursula realized. Lily laughed and Ursula saw recognition in her green eyes. Alice and Marlene also seemed to recognize the two girls. Thankfully, Elyse seemed just as confused as she was.

The girl picked up on the confusion and introduced herself and her friends, "That's Mary McDonald and I'm Moira McGonagall."

It clicked in Ursula's mind when she said her last name. She remembered hearing that Minnie's niece was starting this year. They family resemblance; they had similar eyes. Ursula nodded in recognition,

"I remember now. What happened to Mary?" Ursula asked, wondering what was wrong with the still sobbing girl.

A dark look came over Moira's face and her fists clenched tightly together. "We were minding out own business, you know? Just catching up after the holidays and stuff. All of a sudden these third year Slytherins come up and start calling Mary these horrible things because she is muggleborn. What they said was really cruel and I tried to hex them but they disappeared before I could get them."

Anger flashed in all the girls' eyes. No one talked to their house members like that. Ursula took a deep breath, though, and surprised everyone when she knelt down next to Mary.

"Mary," Ursula began softly, "you need to ignore those stupid buffoons. They don't deserve to be in your presence okay?"

Mary just shook her head and cried a little louder. Ursula reached over and grabbed Mary's shoulder tightly, "No, you listen to me McDonald. From what I've heard you're a brilliant witch and you shouldn't let those little toe rags tell you anything else. You're worth ten Snapes, twenty Goyles, and a billion and a half Carrows. You're a Gryffindor!" She asserted strongly, "You're stronger and better than them!"

Mary looked up and smiled shakily. "You really think?" she asked shyly.

Alice spoke up from behind Ursula, "She doesn't just think that, we all do."

Mary smiled broadly at that and wiped the tears from her eyes with the sleeve of her robes. She laughed a few short, distinct chuckles, "I probably look a right mess right now."

Laughter traveled around the group while Moira helped her friend stand up. "We could say you don't but I must never tell lies." Moira joked. "Aunt Minerva would have my head."

The mental image of the strict Transfiguration professor carrying Moira's head on a plate made a comical mental image. Conflict avoided, all the girls worked their way to Gryffindor Tower joking and laughing with each other. The second year girls dropped off Moira and Mary in their dorm before Ursula led them up to the balcony Annabelle brought her to at the end of the last school year.

"Wow. This is beautiful," Lily said in awe as she looked over the Hogwarts grounds under the moon's mystical powers. Everything seemed to carry extra magic to it. The stars above them twinkled down at them. It was almost a better view than the Great Hall ceiling. Lily, Alice, and Marlene had never seen anything so beautiful.

"I wish we could just sleep up here," Alice said wistfully.

Ursula smirked and grabbed the bag from her shoulder, "We can."

She put the bag down on the ground and started to pull out five sleeping bags, blankets, and pillows. Their jaws just about dropped to the ground. The more Ursula pulled out, the farther down their jaws went. When she was done she looked up at their reaction and started to laugh and explain at the same time,

"Ben got me and Sirius undetectable expansion charmed bags for our birthday. Do you know you can fit a living person in one? Sirius said it was as uncomfortable as hell though. Now come on! Let's exchange gifts before we fall asleep."

She pulled another object out her bag. The rest of them followed suit and pulled their gifts out of their pockets and enlarged them. The next few minutes was a mass exchange. When they finished, they agreed that Marlene would go first. Elyse was the one that got her the gift.

Marlene's face brightened when she saw the eight muggle fashion magazines she was now in possession of.

"Wicked! Thanks Elyse, this is amazing – what the heck is this?" She held up a cube with sides that were three by three and had different color faces.

Lily laughed when she recognized the little cube. "That's a Rubik's Cube!"

"A what's whose?" Alice asked while she moved closer to look at the weird little toy. Elyse and Lily quickly explained the concept behind the cube and by the end; Marlene was excited to get started. She claimed that now she had something interesting to do during History of Magic. Lily gave her a cross look but that look was gone quickly when Lily realized that Marlene bought her a new edition of Hogwarts: A History because her old, second hand copy had fallen apart over the summer.

Ursula was next. She looked at the semi-tall, slightly slim package that Lily had given her. She tore apart the wrapping paper and pulled the object out of the plain cardboard box. Her smile wavered a moment as she looked at the…thing in front of her. It was weirdly shaped and it had a bunch of weird stuff at the top of a frosty white that looked weird.

"Thanks Lils. I love it," she said non convincingly.

Lily smiled knowingly, "You have no idea what it is do you?"

"No clue." She admitted immediately.

"It's a lava lamp. It doesn't really do anything but when I saw the black one I thought instantly of you. Professor Flitwick had to help me charm it to work without electricity." Lily said as she got out her wand. She tapped the top of the lamp and all of a sudden it gave off a soft glow and the black goo started to move around creating undefined shapes, splitting, combining, and going every direction imaginable.

"Merlin's beard, that's wicked," Ursula breathed out in awe of her hypnotizing new gift. "Thank you so much Lily, I love it."

Lily blushed red a little.

Elyse opened her gift next from Alice. It was a beautifully embroidered crimson and gold photo album. On the cover it had in gold leaf calligraphy, "Hogwarts 1971-1978" at the top, above a small opening to put a cover picture, and at the bottom it declared their house, "Gryffindor". Elyse leaned over from her sleeping bag and gave Alice a hug.

Alice was the last one to open her late Christmas gift. She was muttering happily to herself while she tore away the paper. The smile on her face froze and then she burst into a raucous laughter. She grabbed her sides and she was laughing so hard that she wasn't able to answer Marlene when she asked what it was.

Finally, she gain control over herself and she shook her finger at Ursula, "You sneaky little pixie. You're a right brat you know?"

Ursula just shrugged, laughter bubbling behind her lips, "Look at what you're wearing and ask if I'm uncalled for."

Alive laughed outloud again, "I never said you were uncalled for! It's the exact opposite! I just didn't know this book existed!"

"What book," Lily asked slowly looking at the two of them oddly when they burst into laughter again, "can be that funny?"

Alice held up the book for the other three girls to see. There was a moment of silence before they all burst into boisterous laughter. Their laughter echoed past all the room and down into the common room. It carried out over the ground so that Dumbledore probably heard them in his office. Heck, it was possible that the Slytherins heard them in the dungeon. The title of the book in question?

_Levels of Insanity: Where do you rank?_

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><p><em>If you haven't picked up on it yet, there are going to be a lot of dramatic irony in this story. I am trying my hardest to keep everything cannon at the end of this story so everything that happens in the real series will happen in here too. Also, some things will have a way of coming full circle. Just warning you, some things that have already happened are only going to really make sense when they get to seventh year and even past that so you will probably find yourself making a lot of connections as the story progresses.<em>

_Awesome news! This story has over three thousand hits! I did a small, mental victory dance when I saw that. Plus the story of readers just keeps on climbing higher and higher so I would just like to thank everyone that has ever reviewed and everyone who has read this far. I thank you from the bottom of my heart._

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	40. Explosions Galore!

_I feel that I have to say this: **I do not own anything you recognize**. I am only doing this for fun and everyone owns what they own and I only own the things you do not recognize. This probably won't make sense until you read the chapter, but let's just say I was listening to a song that I'm sure everyone here as listened to at some point. Right after I finished listening to it, I sat down to write the beginning of the chapter so I guess this was inspired by the song. Enjoy._

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><p>Everything was ready to go for the prank. Ursula and her friends had been on their best behavior during DADA, no modest accomplishment since Avery seemed to be particularly cruel towards them that morning. It didn't help that it was a double class period. But they sat through the lecture and they took diligent notes. The only snafu was while they were talking notes, Sirius almost lost his temper because of Avery being his usual self.<p>

"I'm surprised," Avery sneered when they took out their books and parchment silently, "I thought you lot would have made some smartass comment already. Pity. It's usually better than the stuff you spew out when you try to sound intelligent."

Sirius had gripped his quill so tightly that he snapped it in half. His knuckles had gone white and his face was flushed with anger. His teeth were grinding together so loudly that James heard it next to him while Sirius had to physically stop himself from sassing back. It seemed to cause him actual physical pain as his grey eyes had sparks of anger in them, reflecting the anger that was within.

But James put a hand on his shoulder and calmed him down,

"Control yourself Black." he hissed into his friend's ear.

He was able to control himself until the end of class. Avery had a habit of talking to his nephew, who conveniently was Peter's assigned potions partner after an incident earlier in the year.

James grabbed Sirius's enchanted spiral and wrote to Remus and Ben, who had borrowed Ursula's identical notebook.

_Ready?_

The message came back almost immediately in Ben's perfect calligraphy,

_Ready_

_Go_

About two seconds later there was a ticking noise. The chatter in the class died down as the ticking noise got louder and louder.

"Whoever is making that noise, stop." Avery ordered with agitation and haughty authority in his voice.

The ticking continued.

A vein on Avery's forehead started to bulge out a little, "Whoever is tapping their quill needs to stop immediately or they will get detention for the rest of the school year."

It just kept on ticking. Lily was the one that spoke up, surprisingly, "Sir, everyone's stuff is away. No one is making the noise."

Avery's brows furrowed in annoyance and confusion. He started looking around the room as if the cause of the ticking out jump out at him or stop when he found it.

"What is that mysterious ticking noise?" He muttered to himself as he looked around.

His nephew, a Slytherin named Dalton Avery, started to look around his desk. He looked under his chair, under his book bag, and finally under his desk. He froze under his desk and shouted out,

"I found the source of the ticking!"

Avery clapped his hands together, "Finally." He started to walk back over to his nephew to get whatever caused the offensive sound. He pulled out a cylindrical metal tube that had a small clock on the side.

"IT'S A PIPE BOMB!" A muggleborn kid who sat behind him shouted as he dove under his desk. Everyone quickly followed suit, except for Dalton who looked in panic at the 'muggle bomb' and Avery who was running back towards his family member.

The bomb exploded in a flash of light. James and Sirius grinned at each other from under their desk and high fived at their bomb working. They had taken some inspiration from their uncle and father and they didn't know it was going to work. It worked better than they thought.

There was silence in the room after the bomb exploded. Elyse chanced a peak over the top of her desk with Ursula and she almost fell back with laughter. The tips of Avery's hair were burnt and there was a lick of hair that still had a small flame at the end of it. His face was covered in boils and so were his hands. He let out an extremely feminine sounding scream when he saw the condition of his hands. He brought his hands up to gingerly touch his face and he whimpered when he felt the roughness and unevenness of his face. Dalton was in a similar state as his uncle. He was screaming bloody murder as he frantically groped his face, causing the boils to pop and cause green ooze to slowly make its way down his face.

Ursula, Sirius, James, Ben, Remus, Elyse, and Peter were practically in tears they were laughing so hard. Alice and Marlene were also laughing. Lily, on the other hand, looked angrily at James but Ursula saw the corner's of her mouth twitching up a little bit.

The bell rang before Avery could order them all back. The septet gathered in the hallway after they frantically ran out of the room. James had a triumphant and slightly sadistic look in his eyes,

"Did you see their faces! Merlin, that looked painful! Everything is going exactly as planned!" He clapped his hands together and rubbed them conspiratorially. The rest of them followed him down the hallway towards Potions.

"We need to make sure we have everything. Sirius, do you have the firework?" He asked the boy to his right.

Sirius nodded and patted his pocket, "Brought an extra one in case."

James nodded in approval, "Nice thinking mate. Elyse you still have my cloak right?"

She nodded and put her hand on top of her messenger bag, "Right where yeh saw me poot it 'his mornin," she said.

He nodded once again and then turned towards the other girl in their little group, "And do you have-"

"I have the bag Ben gave me for my birthday. I convinced Lily to charm it for me last night so it wouldn't feel like it weighed anything. She thinks I'm carrying a bunch of library books in it."

James smiled widely and practically started skipping, "Oh I can't wait to see Snivellus's face when we blow up his caldron!"

Peter looked worried and pulled at his collar, "This potion isn't going to hurt me is it?"

James turned around, annoyed that Peter was stealing his thunder. He sighed impatiently, "No, you should be fine. But even if it does burn a little, you're doing this for Remus. You would do anything for your friends wouldn't you? Besides, I believe in you."

Peter smiled widely and turned a little red at the obviously fake words of encouragement. Ursula met James's eyes, her eyebrow quirking up slightly. He just rolled his eyes and shrugged in response. He turned towards Remus and Ben, who were walking next to each other a little behind them,

"Now you two, Sirius and I need you to be our eyes. When you think it would be best for us to set off the firework and when Slughorn isn't looking, just give us the signal."

The two of them nodded silently. By that time they made it to the dungeons and they were standing outside their classroom. They looked at each other, trying to look innocent and decidedly not up to something. It was a mixed result.

Slughorn was not in the room when they walked in. Ursula and Elyse went over to the desk closest to Slughorn's private stores and they threw their bags under the desk. The boys went over to the other side of the room to sit near where Severus usually sat.

"Do you want to use your cauldron or mine?" Ursula asked.

"Yeh's. Mine's all wonky." Elyse said.

Ursula nodded and walked to the back of the room to get her cauldron while Elyse got out her potions book for them to share.

They had just finished setting up their cauldron when Slughorn walked into the room. In Ursula's opinion, he was much too cheery and nice to be a Slytherin, more like a Hufflepuff. But somehow he was the head of the house and none of the Slytherins had any problems with him. They all seemed rather close to him in fact.

Slughorn was smiling as he scanned the room, "Alright students! It's time to start working on the boil cure potion. If you would ple-" he cut off suddenly and looked peculiarly at Peter, "Mr. Pettigrew, where is your partner?"

Peter quickly answered, "There was an accident in Defense today."

"Yeah," James piped up, "He had to go to the hospital wing. I don't think he's coming back for the period."

Slughorn looked troubled by that news, "How badly was he injured, I dare ask?"

Ben answered him, "It's nothing that Madame Pomfrey won't be able to fix in a jiffy. He'll be back in time for lunch, I suspect."

The potions professor nodded, a crease of worry still on his forehead, "Well, Mr. Pettigrew, even though we normally have an odd number, you can't work on a potion alone so you can work with Severus today."

Peter gathered his things and went to go sit next to the Slytherin boy sitting in front of James and Sirius. He tried to keep his face impassive but even Elyse could see his knuckles turning whiter as he gripped the edge of the table in anger. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath,

"But Professor, I work," he paused a moment to gather his nerves, "alone."

Slughorn just waved Snape's concern away, "Think of this as a learning experience my boy! Maybe one day you'll grow up to teach this class once I retire. You'll have to be able to share your vast knowledge with others."

"I will never become po-"

"Wonderful! Now, everyone you should be able to finish this potion before class is let out. The two students that have the best potion will get a little surprise." He tempted them. Everyone split up while some went to the student stores while others tried to find the potion in their books.

Ursula and Elyse were purposely moving quickly. They needed to get to the part where they would let the potion sit for forty minutes. If they were at the wrong part when they had to abandon it, it wouldn't be pretty. Sirius and James were working along the same thought process. They were rushing but they weren't paying that much attention. Peter was stumbling after Snape, knocking over ingredients and compulsively checking the book. Snape looked ready to murder him.

Just a little over halfway through class, Remus gave the warning signal to Elyse and Ursula. He dropped his potions book on the floor. Ursula discreetly grabbed her bag while her red headed friend grabbed the very corner of the invisibility cloak in her bag.

The second signal was sounded by Ben a minute later. He clinked together his brass scales three times. Exactly two seconds later, there was a great explosion across the room. The boom made the walls vibrate and possibly caused hearing damage to those closest to the explosion. The thick smoke that quickly covered the room was the perfect cover for Ursula and Elyse to cover themselves with the magical cloak. They navigated their way into the stores unseen by anyone while everyone panicked over the second explosion in two class periods.

The second they were in the stores, Ursula left the cover of the cloak and started scanning Slughorn's shelves.

"Books on advanced potions, famous potioneers," she muttered to herself as she scanned the titles and subjects.

Elyse looked back towards the classroom where the smoke was starting to thin slightly, "Hurry oop. We's don't got a loot ov time," she harshly whispered.

"I can't find- Here!" She started grabbing books off the shelves. They were titled along the lines of _How to Cure Magical Bites_, _How to Break Curses__, _and _To Reverse the Irreversible_. "Help me!" Ursula whispered back at the panic lessened in the room.

Elyse rushed over and started shoving books into Ursula's bag. She still had the cloak fastened around her neck. While she reached up to grab a book, the fabric caught on an unlabeled vial. No potion started dripping down the wooden shelves nor did it ruin any book. What was trapped in that vial was black smoke. Ursula happened to be just above eye level with the vial when it broke so the black smoke wafted up into her eyes before she could move away. The reaction was instantaneous. She screamed in pain and brought her hands up to her eyes to try to stop the burning. She stumbled back while rubbing her eyes. Ursula was whimpering in pain when she fell backwards, her eyes still burning.

Elyse went to go help her friend but Ursula's yells had alerted Slughorn so Elyse was forced to stand perfectly still, black smoke trapped under the cloak. Very carefully and very discreetly, she stuck her foot out to kick the bag containing the stolen books under the cloak. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to avoid getting any of the mysterious smoke in her eyes.

"Miss Black, what are doing? Are you alright?" Slughorn asked her, kneeling down at her side when he found her lying on the ground, pushing her hands into her eyes to try to stop the pain.

It took Ursula a second to respond, "I'm sorry Sir. I was just trying to," she had to swallow back some of her tears, "see if Peter was oaky after the explosion. I couldn't see where I was going because of the debris so I must have tripped on something."

"But what happened to your eyes dear?" Slughorn asked.

Elyse wanted to hit the man at that moment. The urge to cough was almost too great for her to handle anymore. If she could she would have gone around the pair but by that point a group of students had congregated at the door to see what the fuss was about, effectively cutting off her escape.

"I hit the ground hard and I disturbed some of the dust on the floor. I think it got in my eyes."

Slughorn nodded understandably, "I haven't swept in here in years. I should probably get on that. Here, let me help you up."

He stood up and offered her hand down to her. He gently pulled her to his feet and made sure she was steady before he let her walk out of the room. Sirius was the first person at the door and he wrapped an arm around her shoulder to help guide her through the crowd since she was still frantically wiping her eyes. Ben placed a comforting hand on her shoulder while Remus and James went over to their desk to get their things. Slughorn had dismissed class early because Snape and Peter were now in the hospital wing because of their injuries. Also, he needed to clean up the mess the explosion made.

"Did you get to books?" James asked her, his mind focused completely on if his plan worked.

Ursula nodded with her eyes still closed, "Elyse has the bag. I don't know where she went."

"Was she still in the store when you fell?" Remus asked her.

Ursula nodded while explaining that she really didn't fall. The six guys looked at each other once she finished her story. They were about to respond when Elyse appeared out of nowhere.

"Sorry aboot 'hat. I needed teh get soom fresh air," she explained.

Since Ursula still wasn't able to open her eyes or keep her hands away from her eyes, Sirius led her to sit down on a large window ledge. Ben knelt down in front of her and placed his cool hands on her wrists and spoke to her calmly,

"Ursula, you need to stop rubbing your eyes. It will just make it worse."

She shook her head. It hurt too much. "No." she said defiantly.

Sirius rolled his eyes but joined in with Ben to gently coax her to open her eyes. James and Remus turned to Elyse,

"Do you know what the black smoke was?"

Elyse shook her head, "Teh vial was unmarked. I's got no idear."

"Did it have a stopper on top? Did the smoke have room to move around?" Remus questioned.

She thought back for a moment. "Yeah, boot." She nodded.

James nodded his head knowingly, "My dad has something like that except his is Gryffindor colors. He said that he got it when he was at Hogwarts so Slughorn probably just has the Slytherin version of it or something. There's nothing to worry about."

By this time, Ben and Sirius had got Ursula to move her hands away from her eyes. They were red and agitated but there was nothing that was obviously wrong with them. They looked perfectly fine to the boys.

"Let's go back to our dorm and start going through those books." James suggested.

Ursula nodded, pushing herself off the ledge. She blinked a lot on the way back to Gryffindor Tower and Elyse had one coughing fit but they were fine by the time they got back to the tower. Peter joined them a little bit later, the effects the potion had on him were gone due to the wonderful skill of Madame Pomfrey. All was well as they looked through all the books Ursula and Elyse took from Slughorn. There was some promising stuff at a quick glance so they planned on going to the library the next night to see if they can find out some more to help Remus's 'furry little problem', as James had now officially named it.

James had viewed the day as a total success. There was the slight hiccup with Ursula and Elyse but he commended them on thinking on their feet. Absolutely nothing had gone wrong.

Well, that is, that he knew of.

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><p><em>I hope that you enjoyed this chapter! I'll keep this one short. I appreciated everyone's reviews from the last chapter(s) and I hope that everyone will leave a review. It would make my day and make me write faster!<em>

**_REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW!_**


	41. Really Bad

_Sorry that I haven't updated in over a week. I usually plan on updating once during the week and once over the weekend but this week was just so busy. I had three papers due yesterday, an AP history test, four tests, and a recital to go to. I know you guys are probably tired of hearing my excuses, but that's really what happened. I hope to update before the weekend is over but considering I have a huge project due on Monday that I haven't even started yet, I think that the middle of next week is a more realistic goal. _

_I hope that you enjoy this new installment of A Black and White Story. If you like this then check out two other stories I have written in this universe. Don't forget to review this and any of the other stories either! You never know what you can influence.  
><em>

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><p>Lily was on the war path. She never, ever been this mad before. Her green eyes were snapping with anger and her hair somehow looked even more red in her fury. She stormed into the common room with murder in her eyes,<p>

"POTTER! BLACK!" She screamed.

The two boys' heads popped up from over the couch.

"You called, Evans?" Sirius asked lazily with a lazy smile on his face. He was feeling quite accomplished with himself after the success of the prank.

SMACK!

Lily had stormed over to him and literally smacked the smirk right off his face. He fell off the couch in shock and looked up in terror at the irate girl. Thankfully for him (but unfortunately for his friend) Lily turned her anger towards James.

"You!" She yelled at him. "You are responsible for this!" She jabbed her finger painfully into his chest.

James looked at her confused, "What the hell did I do?" He asked when he looked down

She looked ready to murder him. She pulled out her wand and held it against his throat. "Don't you dare act like you don't know what you did, you toe rag!" She screeched at him.

Ben and Remus scrambled up from their homework. Ben pushed James back, getting him away from Lily and putting himself in the line of fire.

"Lily, we honestly don't know what you are talking about," Remus explained from behind Ben but still in front of James. "What happened?"

She took a calming breath, not wanting to snap at the two boys she didn't have any reason to angry at, based off of her knowledge.

"Severus had a bad reaction to the potion he took to get rid of whatever they," she turned her furious eyes towards the two boys standing near the back of the group, one with a red handprint across his pale face, "did to him in potions today."

James and Sirius burst out laughing and they high fived each other. Lily was either so angry or over her emotional capacity because tears started pooling in her eyes.

"It's not funny!" she shouted, her voice cracking a little bit. "He couldn't move his face for hours!"

That just brought James and Sirius into another round of laughter. Ben tried to hide his laughter but he let one smile through. He could just imagine Snape's cheerful grin stuck on his face.

Done with the whole situation, Lily pushed herself away from Ben, who had one hand still on her shoulder. Remus looked after her, wanting to comfort her and explain that they really meant no harm. But Ben shook his head, "Ursula and Elyse are up there; they'll explain everything."

That calmed Remus's nerves. By that time, James and Sirius calmed down. James, still chuckling, motioned towards the bag Ursula left with them.

"Peter, grab the bag. We'll go to the library start looking at some of these books. We'll let Ursula and Lysie sleep."

The boys made their way up to the library. James threw himself into the comfiest chair in the book filled rooms while the rest of his friends gathered around him. They pulled out books and settled themselves into just sitting there reading. It was early Saturday morning so they had no worries about people disturbing them. Ursula and Elyse would know where to find them but no one else would. They just sat there are read, occasionally their quills scratching across the paper as they took note of something they deemed important.

Finally, Sirius had enough.

"I can't look at another word. My book has nothing relevant in it. What about the rest of you?" He asked.

Remus and Peter just shook their heads.

"There was something," Ben said, "that I found interesting. There are potioneers looking into a cure at the moment but it sounds like it will be years before they figure it out."

"Damn," Sirius swore, "What about you James."

James was still hunched over a book with a perplexed look on his face, "I think I have something." He said slowly as he flipped the page over. Then suddenly, it was like a light bulb went off over his head. He jumped up almost knocking his chair back (it would have crashed if Remus didn't reach out and catch it) and ran to another part of the library. The remaining friends were only able to spare a single confused look at each other before James made it back. He dropped a heavy book on the table and started frantically flipping through it. When he found the page he was looking for his eyes flew over the words.

"Guys, I've got the answer to Moony's problem!" He said when he finally found what he wanted. He had a triumphant and mischievous smile on his face, something that bought worry to a lot of people's hearts.

Sirius and Ben snorted at the new nickname while Remus rolled his eyes. But then James's words registered with Remus. He almost leaned too far back in his chair and almost crashed to the ground..

"What!"

James smirked, but his eyes weren't exactly gleeful, "It's not really an answer, but it will make it easier. You see, werewolf bites don't affect animals." He said it as if it explained everything.

All he got were blank looks.

"We're all good at transfiguration…" James prompted him.

Realization shone in Ben's eyes, "That's just crazy enough that it might work." He said mainly to himself but everyone heard anyway.

James nodded and thumped his fist on top of the book. "That's what I'm saying!"

"What is he saying?" Peter asked, confused.

Ben sighed as he felt the beginnings of a headache coming on. "What James is saying is that animals aren't affected by werewolf bites-"

"What does that have to do with transfiguration?" Peter interrupted him.

"Merlin Pete, let me finish," Ben said exasperated. "In higher levels of transfiguration you can learn how to transform yourself into an animal, like McGonagall has. You become what is known as an animagus. We can then spend full moons with Remus to make sure he doesn't hurt himself or others."

The dots had now connected in Sirius's brain, "That's bloody brilliant." He said in awe.

Remus had also figured out where James was trying to go with this, "No, no, absolutely not. I will not allow you guys to do this."

"We can do what we want Moony, you can't stop us," James said cockily.

Remus flushed red with indignation, "Yes I can. This is where I draw the line Potter."

James raised his eyebrows, "So I'm Potter now? I hate to break it to you Remus my friend, but I can do whatever the hell I want to, to try to help you."

He was about to retort when a shadow was cast upon the table.

"Mr. Black," McGonagall said, "please come with me."

Sirius groaned but started to get up anyway, "Come on Minnie, I didn't do anything this time."

She did not even react or scold him about his use of the nickname they had all given her. Worry lines were etched onto her face and her eyes were softer. It looked like she was sorry for Sirius.

"I know you haven't done anything, unless you would like to admit something. Now if you please come with me," she ordered while motioning with his hand for him to follow him.

Ben and James shared a look.

"What do you think he got in trouble for?" James asked as they packed up their stuff and left the library.

Ben just shrugged.

"Maybe," Remus offered, "Snape blamed him for what happened in potions."

James shrugged, "Eh, we'll find out later. But if he did turn Sirius in, we'll have to get back at him. So what d'you think of my idea?" James asked, his question directed towards Ben.

Ben nodded absentmindedly, "I mean it would take us a long time to master the process. Some of the best wizards can't become animagi so for us to attempt it at thirteen would be stupid."

"We can go through-"

The two boys continued to discuss theory on the entire walk back to Gryffindor Tower. They were just outside of the portrait hole when Remus finally had enough.

"No." He said resolutely.

Ben and James, who had both just stepped through into the common room, looked back at Remus with looks of confusion on their faces.

"What?" James asked.

Remus took a deep breath before he said, "I don't want you guys doing this. Promise me." He looked them dead in the eyes.

James sighed, exasperated, "Why? We just want to help!"

"I don't care! I don't want to hurt anyone, especially any of you! I'm asking you as a friend, please don't do this." Remus begged while walking forwards into the common room.

James rolled his eyes and opened his mouth to swear to Remus but instead he realized what was happening in the common room.

Lily, Marlene, and Alice were sitting on the couches, all of them with red blotches covering their faces from crying. Marlene was still borderline hysterical while a female prefect tried to calm her down. Alice was the calmest, then again, Frank Longbottom was the one there, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder and talking to her in a calm voice. Lily was just staring into the fire like she didn't really see it. It was a blank stare; she was in shock.

"What the hell happened Evans?" James asked.

Lily didn't offer James a biting comment. She turned to look at him with tear filled eyes. She tried to say something but words seemed to fail her.

It was Ben that seemed to realize something was extremely wrong, "Lily, Alice, what happened?" He asked.

Alice took a shaky breath, "Elyse and Ursula weren't feeling good last night. We all thought it was just a cold."

"It got worse as the night went on apparently," Lily continued in a monotone voice, "By the time they woke up, Ursula had a blinding headache and her eyes all wonky while Elyse had trouble breathing and started coughing up blood."

"Where are they now?" Ben asked, panic filling his voice. It was whatever smoke they had inhaled yesterday, he was sure of it. He knew that it was unlikely that Slughorn kept such an innocent trinket right near so many dangerous things. They had assumed the best, not even considering the worst. They should have at least been suspicious when Ursula and Elyse had gone to bed early the previous night, complaining of feeling run down. But no, they hadn't even thought of going to the hospital wing or checking in with them this morning and this was their reparation for their folly.

Lily shook her head, "Professor McGonagall said that no one could visit them right now."

"How bad is it?" Remus asked, almost dreading the answer.

Lily looked at him with sad eyes, "It's really bad Remus. It's really bad."

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><p><strong><em><span>REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW!<span>_**


	42. Mysterious Illness

_Here is everyone's answer to what is wrong with the girls. I hope that this explains everything that was left unanswered in the last chapter._

_Please enjoy._

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><p>James was the first one to make it into the Infirmary Wing corridor. All the Quidditch practices that year had built up his legs, allowing him to outrun the taller Ben and Remus but just barely. Peter was about half a hallway behind them, huffing and puffing like he was about it die. James took a skidding turn and started sprinting towards the figures sitting on bench at the end of the hallway, his robes billowing behind him, seeing as they were undone in the front.<p>

"Sirius!" James shouted.

One of the figures looked up from the bench outside the Infirmary. Sirius's eyes were red and bloodshot. Huddled into him was his little brother, Regulus. The younger boy had his head burrowed securely underneath Sirius's arm while the older boy held him close. Gryffindor red and Slytherin green clashed but for a moment they were just two brothers terrified for their only connection; their big sister.

"Sirius," James started again, panting and frantic, "We just found out."

"Lily explained what happened. What's wrong?" Ben asked, fear in every word.

Sirius swallowed loudly, "They don't know yet. They just sent for Healers from St. Mungo's. Madame Pomfrey had to put them to sleep to stop the pain." He said in a hallow voice.

"There was so much screaming," Regulus said in a meek voice, shuddering under his brother's arm. Sirius pulled his little brother closer to him and rubbed his shoulder comfortingly. Ben sat down on the other side of the young boy and he placed a hand on his back in silent comfort while James did the same for Sirius. Remus sat down in an opposite bench and Peter sat down beside him.

"Did they say anything else?" Remus asked.

Sirius shook his head, "They don't know what it is! Sissy is in so much pain right now, guys! She can't bloody see! Did Evans tell you that? My sister's bloody blind!" He said angrily. His usual calm and cavalier attitude was now replaced with sheer panic and worry for Ursula.

"What about Elyse?" James asked, trying to distract Sirius from getting himself sick from worry, and trying to find out what happened to his other friend currently behind the locked doors.

Sirius shuddered, "The coughing; it was horrible. She was coughing up a lot of blood. When Pomfrey came out to tell me that they knocked Ursula out, she was covered in blood. I don't think she can breathe right." He added in a horrified whisper. The impact seemed to be settling in him as his mind had time to process what had happened in the last couple hours.

"God," Remus muttered and covered his face with his hands while his elbows rested on his knees.

The group was silent a moment. They could hear chatter coming from inside the infirmary. The voices could not be distinguished, but they were talking frantically. James kept on running his hand through his hair, panic settling in the pit of his stomach.

"It has to have been whatever that black smoke was," James finally said, breaking the silence. "It wasn't some damn trinket."

The rest of the boys just nodded while Regulus looked at the older boys confused.

"Someone needs to tell McGonagall or Slughorn. They would probably know what it is." Ben said.

"We can't tell them! They'll a-a-ask from the whole story and – and –and we'll all get in t-t-trouble!" Peter stuttered.

The looks on the rest of their faces were thunderous. James jumped from his seat and glared Peter, "I think some detentions are worth Ursula's and Elyse's lives, Peter!" James shouted.

Peter physically recoiled and started whimpering about how his mother would be angry with him. James looked ready to strike him down with a curse from his wand. He knew enough dark curses from growing up with an Auror and a Healer for parents but his hate for Dark Arts kept him from doing anything. His hazel eyes were still snapping when he regarded Peter with one last withering look, "What the hell were you thinking saying something like that Pete?"

Peter never had the chance to answer because Dumbledore appeared around the corner moving extremely fast. Some would consider it a joy, but it was much to smooth for that. There were six healers from St. Mungo's following behind him. When they got to the end of the hallway, the healers burst through the door.

Ben was able to sneak a look into the infirmary. Elyse's body was still convulsing with each cough, even though she was knocked out by a potion and silenced with a spell. She was turned on her side so she wouldn't choke on the blood she was coughing up. Ursula was pale white and she was rocking her head back and forth, her mouth open in a silenced scream.

That moment would never be wiped from Ben's mind.

He was brought out of his shock when Dumbledore spoke.

"Boys, you must tell me if you know what is wrong with them. It could very well save their lives."

The story fell from James's lips. He never said anything connected to them knowing of Remus's condition but spun it as they were trying to get some new potion ideas from pranks and they thought that Slughorn would have all the good books in his private store. He didn't go into the exact details of the 'prank'. He did explain however, that Elyse knocked over a vial of black smoke and the smoke got directly into Ursula's eyes while Elyse breathed in a good amount.

Dumbledore didn't even stay for the end of the story. The second that James explained how each girl got in contact with the seemingly harmless black smoke, Dumbledore's already oddly serious eyes, widened and he looked…scared. It was a look none of them had ever seen on their fearless Headmaster's face.

He didn't even stick around for the rest of the story. He turned on his heal disapparated out of the school

"That's not a good sign is it?" Regulus asked meekly.

Ben shook his head, and gently rubbed the young Slytherin's back.

"No, Regulus, it isn't."

"I thought n-n-no one could apparate in or out of Hogwarts?" Peter stuttered, recalling a fact Remus told him endlessly when he asked how people always seemed to disapparated and apparate around the school; namely teachers.

"He's frickin' Dumbledore," James said bitingly, "He can do whatever the hell he wants."

They sat in silence for only a minute before Dumbledore reappeared with an elderly woman and another man. Ben's eyes widened with terror when he saw the trio, as did James's. Sirius was still staring at the door. He only blinked when the trio opened the door and disappeared into the infirmary.

"Who was that?" Remus asked Ben and James.

"That was Perenelle and Nicolas Flammel." Ben said in shock. "She's a specialty healer, one disease to be exact."

Remus seemed to deflate when he heard that. Calm seemed to fill his system. Dumbledore got the expert to help his friends. They would be fine.

"What disease?" Peter asked.

Remus's ears perked up as he wondered what disease it was exactly.

James was the one that answered. He was pale as a ghost and his hands were shaking, "Flammel's disease." He said, his voice shaking just as much as his hands.

"What's so bad about this disease? I mean, we have the expert with them right now?" Remus asked, terror starting to inch its way back into his body. Sirius swore loudly while Regulus paled considerably. As a matter of fact, tears started to fall from the younger Black's eyes.

"It's Flammel's disease." Regulus whispered horrified through his tears. His silver eyes were wide and fearful as he tried to wrap his eleven-year-old time around this situation.

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><p>There are certain diseases that only wizards and witches can get. They for some reason only affect those with magic flowing through their veins. Most diseases have cures; simple potions that fixed what was wrong in a matter of hours. Some are more serious that do require stays at St. Mungo's but even then they are considered treatable if they are caught in time. Then there was Flammel's disease.<p>

It was considered the most deadly Wizarding disease. It could attack the bodies in three ways. One way was through a skin. If you had an open sore or a small cut when you came in contact with the disease, it would get into your blood stream and destroy your magic and eventually destroy your insides. The second way was called The Rasp. If you breathed in the pathogen, then it would settle in your lungs and eventually it would give you a coughing fit where you would start coughing up blood. The disease would then start to spread and then it would attack the heart. You could die within days, not even realizing that you had the disease; only assuming you had a simple cough before it was too late. If you were lucky enough to survive your voice would never return back to normal. It would become raspy like you smoke a pack of cigarettes a day. The last version of the disease is the most obvious to spot. It is appropriately called Thestral Eyes because eventually your eyes turn all white. It starts first in the pupil, turning first into a swirling grey, white, and black. It causes extreme pain to the sufferer and will cause blindness if it is not treated within a certain window. If it isn't caught the disease spreads back into the brain and there is no going back from there. It is almost certain death.

Perenelle Flammel had a passion from a young age to find a cure for this vicious disease for her father died when she was just a young girl of The Rasp. From that moment on, she dedicated her life to finding out the cure. It was through assistance from her husband and her prolonged life; she was able to find a cure for the disease in the mid 15th Century. It took about another hundred years before the disease was almost completely wiped out in England and most European nations. So Perenelle would occasionally go assist when an epidemic struck a South American, African, Asian, or North American Wizard Community, but those occurrences were few and far in between.

She had been most shocked when her good friend Albus showed up in the middle of her living room claiming two students contracted the deadly disease. But now as she collapsed into an infirmary chair and looked at the two now still girls, she couldn't believe that he wasn't lying. The two girls definitely had the disease.

"Are they going to be alright?" Minerva McGonagall asked, her face betraying all the worry she had for her two Gryffindors.

Perenelle did answer right away, "I do not know. We have fixed what is wrong, but damage could have already been done. From what Albus told me, they came in contact with the disease almost twenty-four hours ago. Most adults die within that time frame."

A look of pride flashed across Minerva's face and she straightened her back even more straight than it naturally was, "Of course they defied the standard; they are Gryffindors."

Albus and Nicolas chuckled softly. Perenelle turned towards her friend, "Albus, have the parents been informed?"

Albus nodded his head, "Elyse's mother and father are currently being transported to the school which is a difficult task because they are both muggles. We sent an owl out the second they were admitted to the infirmary, but Ursula's parents have yet to respond."

"What about her brothers?" Nicolas asked, pointing his thumb over his shoulder at the door.

"If you don't mind," Perenelle said softly, "I would like to speak with the boys. I can probably answer more questions than you can."

Nicolas chuckled, "Are you insulting my intelligence? I'll have you know I am one of the most brilliant minds in the world!" His tone was very light and his eyes were twinkling with laughter. When Perenelle walked past him, she patted him on the head, "You keep telling yourself that, dear."

When she opened the door, she was taken out of the world or medical success and light bantering into heavy silence and pure dread in the air. The second the remaining boys saw her sitting there, they jumped up.

"Are they okay?" The red haired one asked immediately.

The two black haired boys looked up at her with different levels of fear and daring in their eyes, the oldest one looking at her as if he was daring her to say that his sister wasn't okay. The younger one looked absolutely petrified. There was another boy, a messy, black haired boy with glasses covering up hazel eyes. He didn't look like he was related to either of the ill children but there was hidden panic, worry, and guilt in his eyes.

She smiled kindly down at them, "I'm not going to lie and say for sure they will make a full recovery, but I can say that they are stabilized and in much better condition than they were earlier."

The boys sagged with relief. The one with glasses smirked at the rest of them, "I told you sorry lot they were going to be okay. And you guys were worried, psht." He rolled his eyes.

Perenelle smiled at the young boy. The two brothers looked immensely relieved. The older one tapped the other black haired boy on the shoulder, "James, go find Remus so he can update everyone up in the Tower again."

She got the distinct impression that James was usually giving out the orders, but for some reason, he had no qualms about following his friend's orders. The bespectacled boy nodded once, pushed his glasses up the bridge of his slim nose, "I might stop by to help Peter with the food. Merlin knows he somehow found a way to mess it up."

He started down the hallway and disappeared quickly. The red haired boy didn't look as relieved as the other two boys.

"You said," he began slowly, "that you don't know if they will make a full recovery. What will be wrong with them?" He asked.

Perenelle sighed and tried best to think of how to put it gently to the young boys. She was saved from having to answer by the arrival of three adults.

Alphard Black was leading the way with two awed and terrified people behind him. The look on Alphard's face was one of complete worry.

"Where is my niece?" He demanded the second he got to her.

Perenelle looked past him at the clearly muggle couple.

"You must be Elyse O'Brian's parents. You can all follow me."

She led the three adults into the infirmary and closed the door behind them with a click. Sirius, Regulus, and Ben were the only ones sitting outside of the room now. The sun had just set behind the horizon so the corridor was dark.

Sirius got to his feet, stretching his arms over his head as he yawned. He then turned a little ways to look at his brother, "You're going to want to get back to your common room. There's nothing we can do sitting here all night." He noted his brother's apprehensive look. He sighed, "You heard Healer Flammel. Ursula's going to be fine. I'll send Evans to the dungeon to get you if anything changes alright?"

Regulus nodded and staggered to his feet. As he passed by Sirius, his older brother pulled him into a quick hug, "She'll be alright, Reggie. Trust me." He whispered comfortingly to him.

Ben watched the exchange with a smile on his face. Ursula would be ecstatic when she woke up and saw her brothers acting like true brothers again. But that thought hit him like a million bricks. He waited for Regulus to disappear around the corner before he began to talk.

"Sirius, what if Ursula isn't going to be 'okay' when she wakes up?"

Sirius scoffed at that and started meandering down the hallway, "She'll be fine. They've got the best healers in the world with her right now."

"But what if they were too late and something is really wrong? What is Ursula does lose her sight permanently or Elyse loses her voice?"

Sirius stopped and turned to look Ben straight in the eyes, "Listen to me; Sissy and Elyse are going to be okay. They got treatment before any damage could be done."

"How do you know that?" Ben asked, exasperated that Sirius wasn't listening to what he was saying.

The other boy's eyes turned cold, "I just know, alright? Stop acting like nothing is going to go right. They. Will. Be. Fine." He accented the last four words, leaving no room for argument.

While Ben desperately wished to believe Sirius, part of him was saying that they underestimated the black power before, who's to say that won't do it again. He felt partially responsible for their sudden illness and almost, possible deaths. Sirius's eyes softened as he realized where Ben's thoughts were taking him.

"Ursula wouldn't have wanted you to beat yourself up over this. Now start acting like a Gryffindor or I might just have to feed you to the 'Puffs."

Ben chuckled as the two made their way to Gryffindor Tower for a good night's sleep. They just turned the corner when suddenly Sirius disappeared from next to him. There was a loud splat and sudden laughter. Ben looked up from his fallen friend to see James, Remus, and Peter laughing their little butts off.

They had set up a trip wire around the corner. Sirius had literally just walked into their trap and landed face first into a giant bowl of vanilla pudding. James was shaking with laughter.

When he was finally able to control himself, he looked Ben in the eyes, "Turns out Peter messed up."

He paused a moment.

"It was supposed to be chocolate pudding," James shuddered at the mention of the personally detested dessert, "but Remus forced him to switch to vanilla."

"Never waste chocolate; it's a sin." Remus said vehemently as he pulled out a chocolate bar from his pocket.

Ben was practically doubled over with laughter as he took in Peter almost peeing on himself from laughing so hard, James shying away from the chocolate bar, Remus munching on said chocolate bar like a rabbit, and Sirius dripping vanilla pudding down his robes. Some things would never change, even in the hardest of times, Ben realized. But he couldn't shake the feeling that it was still incomplete. They needed Ursula and Elyse back and they needed them back soon.

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><p><em>So there you have it. I hope that everyone enjoyed this chapter. Please leave your thoughts in a nice little review. It would be highly appreciated. Also, I have a question for all of you. Now this this story is over 100,000 words and not even close to being done, do you think I should break up the story. Keep First and second year <span>A Black and White Story: Book 1<span>, and make third and forth A Black and White Story: Book 2.  Let me know what you think. Your opinions will be taken into consideration. Thanks._

_**_REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW!_**_


	43. Three and a Half Days Later

_Thank you to everyone that reviewed the last chapter! I was so happy when I saw all the reviews. Your input about splitting up the story has been taken into account and I think that I am going to be splitting it up. It's just getting too long for it to remain one story. This story will end right after the end of this school year (which is almost over) and the next story will pick up at the beginning of the next year I think. I haven't planned that far yet._

_Just as a reminder, I don't own Harry Potter._

_Please enjoy  
><em>

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><p>The first thing that she was able to comprehend was the dull thudding behind her eyes. She knew instantly where she was. The smells of all the healing potions gave it away; she had been in the infirmary quite often to visit Remus after the full moon. The soft sheets were tucked snuggly around her, protecting her from the cold air. She kept her eyes closed as she sighed softly, moaning as she readjusted herself under the blanket. Her movement, however slight, attracted attention.<p>

"Ursula?"

The voice sounded familiar. Groggily (as she was still under the influence of many potions) she tried to mentally wake up. She opened her eyes but found that the infirmary was totally dark.

"Ursula," the familiar voice asked again hopefully, "are you awake?"

It clicked in her brain, "Uncle Alphard?" she mumbled in a barely audible voice

He grasped her hands tightly and muttered a "thank Merlin" before speaking directly to her. "It's me, Ursula. You're going to be fine." He promised her.

"What happened?" She asked as she tried to sit up. A gentle but firm hand held her down.

"Don't over exert yourself. I'm going to get a healer, you stay where you are." His tone left no room for argument. Ursula crossed her arms and waited. Eventually getting tired of waiting, she realized that Elyse had to be there too.

"Elyse?"

There was no response.

"Elyse?" Ursula tried a little bit louder as panic gripped her heart.

Where was her friend?

"ELYSE!" She shouted into the apparently empty infirmary, she could tell from the echo.

There was a mad rush of footsteps that flocked to her bed.

"Miss Black, I need you to calm down."

Even though she couldn't see the unknown woman, Ursula snapped at the general direction, "No, you need to tell me where my bloody friend is!"

"Black, language." A sharp voice ordered. Ursula could identify that voice without even listening; McGonagall.

"Where is Elyse? What happened to me? Why did everyone turn off the lights? Who are you?" She asked in rapid succession, trying to get all her questions answered. The pounding in her head was getting worse and worse by the second. Would someone just tell her what was going on?

The adults were talking softly among themselves for a moment before they spoke to the bedridden girl again. Ursula heard at least one pair of footsteps leaving the room. She waited for the remaining adults to start explaining.

"My name in Perenelle Flammel," the unknown woman introduced herself, "I specialize in the treatment of-"

"Flammel's Disease. So that's what I had?"

"Yes, you had a severe case of Thestral Eyes. Now for your recover-"

"What about Elyse?" Ursula interrupted the healer once again, neither not caring nor noticing she kept on cutting off the healer. She had only one goal in mind and that was to find out what happened to her friend.

There was a moment for silence. Panic settled in Ursula's heart. That feeling multiplied by tenfold when someone sat down on the edge of her bed and placed a cool gently hand on top of her own. It was an unsettling feeling, something Ursula hated, not knowing who was sitting next to you.

"Miss Black, there is no easy way to say this…"

* * *

><p>James, Peter, Sirius, Remus, and Ben were all sitting down to lunch three days after Ursula and Elyse had been admitted into the infirmary. They had been unconscious the entire time but that didn't stop the boys from setting up a rotation to make sure that someone was with them at almost all times. They had developed a system that unless they were in a class they needed to go to (Transfiguration, Charms, and Herbology) James would pull out his cloak and go visit them. At night, they would take two hours shifts and just sit with the girls. Sometimes after class, they would all go visit and they would tell the prone girl about the goings on of Hogwarts.<p>

"Do you reckon they'll wake up soon?" Remus asked as he buttered a roll.

James nodded, "I think they'll be up by the end of the week in perfect health." He thumped his fist against the table and savagely took a bite out of his chicken leg.

"Here, here!" Sirius cheered before he devoured his sandwich.

Ben rolled his eyes as he filled his plate with food. The rest of the boys started talking strategy about the upcoming Quidditch game between Slytherin and Ravenclaw. Both boys were favoring Ravenclaw but they both projected a close call.

But the red headed boy was more interesting in a conversation taking place a few seats down and a table over. A group of third-year Slytherins were loudly talking amongst themselves. Ben's ears perked up when he heard Ursula's and Elyse name brought into the conversation.

"Haven't you heard? Regulus's sister caught Flammel's Disease."

That sent the boys into a group of laughter. Ben's hand moved towards his pocket as he felt for his wand. His friends seemed blissfully unaware of what was happening.

"Didn't someone else get the disease too?"

"Yup, her little red-headed friend."

"I hope the mudblood dies," one of the muttered.

Ben jumped from his seat with a murderous look in his eyes. James and Sirius, not knowing what had just been said, sprang from their seats and restrained their friend.

"What the hell Ben!" Sirius shouted as he struggled to hold onto his arm. Remus joined the effort and wrapped his arms around Ben's waist to hold him back. The Slytherins sitting at the table were laughing at Ben and that just fueled his anger more.

"LET ME GO!" He struggled against his captors.

James looked worriedly at his friend, wondering if the stress from this week had finally made the calm and level headed Ben to snap.

"Not until you calm down mate," James said.

Ben's flashing brown eyes looked straight into James's hazel.

"He called Elyse a you-know-what."

James didn't need to be told twice. He immediately let go of Ben and went after the Slytherins himself. The other boys had heard the comment too and they too furious.

"Oi, Montague!" Ben shouted at the boy who was now trying to escape through the crowd. The kid hesitated just a moment and that was enough time for James to catch him by the back of his robes. He spun the kid around at straight towards Ben. The Slytherin didn't see it coming. When Ben's fist hit Montague in the nose, blood started dripping everywhere.

"MR. WHITE!" McGonagall's sternly said. The boys all froze as they looked at the irate professor.

James instantly jumped to Ben's defense, "But Professor-"

"Here I was," She cut him off, her face furious, "to inform you that Ursula woke up ten minutes ago and is coherent and I walk in on you muggle fighting!"

They all stared at her in shock.

"Ursula's awake?" Remus asked.

The second she nodded, they all started running towards the infirmary out of the Great Hall. They ran into Regulus and Slughorn just outside of the door to the infirmary. Regulus looked happier than Sirius could ever remember him being. They were about to push open the door when Healer Flammel opened the door. She smiled kindly down at them.

"Boys, you can all come see her but you need to keep her calm. If you upset her, I have no qualms kicking you out of here. She might be a little out of it, but she is conscious and there seems to be no brain damage."

Sirius sighed in relief as he walked into the infirmary. He made a beeline straight for Ursula's bed. Her head was still wrapped with thick gauze, keeping the special potions and ointments on her eyes. She looked a little pale and her hands kept on nervously moving around the bed, touching the sheets and then the rail and back to her sheets tapping all the while.

"Ursula! You're alive!" Sirius shouted joyfully.

She smiled shakily but sadness seemed to radiate from her. That sent up warning signals in Ben's and Remus's minds. They shared a concerned look. James on the other hand looked completely relaxed and in his element.

"Oh suck it up Ursula. You just survived Flammel's Disease without any damage. I'd imagine you'd be a little happier."

She laughed humorlessly and her mouth formed into a bitter smile. She shook her head back and forth on the white pillow, her black hair such a stark contrast it was unbelievable. Ursula looked upset so Regulus timidly walked forward and grasped her hand. She just about jumped a foot in the air as she jerked her hand back.

"Who just touched me?" She shrieked.

Regulus backed away with a whimper. Sirius shoved him farther back and he went to sit next to his sister, "Ursula, everyone's here and Regulus. Regulus was the one that touched your hand; he was just being the usual idiot he is."

The younger Black flushed red with embarrassment while Ursula scolded Sirius for insulting their brother. The rest of their time together went quickly, as it was in the middle of the school day and they needed to get back to class. With a final goodbye, they left the room.  
>Ursula thought they were all gone so she let out a shaky breath from all the withheld tears. Then she heard the shuffled next to her bed.<p>

"Who's there?" She demanded, trying to keep the tremors out of her voice.

"Just me." James's voice hit her ears. She relaxed against the soft bed.

"I've got a question." James stated after a moment of silence.

"What's ever stopped you before?" She asked him exasperated. She heard him chuckle as he sat down on the edge of her bed and jostled it a little bit. He must have out his feet under him or something.

"Nothing really. I was just wondering why you laughed when Sirius said you are undamaged. I mean you are undamaged, right?"

She sighed a tried to think of how to explain what Healer Flammel told her when she woke up.

"I am going to be…fine, to a degree. Elyse and I are going to live."

He sensed the implied word, "but?" he prompted.

"Elyse has completely lost the ability to talk," she finally admitted with a sob. "She can't talk right now and they don't know if she will be able to ever again. There's months of therapy ahead of her but she can't bloody talk right now James!"

For the two years she had known him, she had rendered James Potter speechless. She heard him swallow loudly, "What about you? Are you going to have complications?" he asked softly.

She nodded, tears being absorbed by the bandages around her eyes, "I'm completely blind."

The silence was deafening.

"Is there, um, is there any chance of regaining any sight?" he queried.

She shrugged, "They think I have a shot of getting some of it back. They reckon that I'll never have the perfect vision I had before but they said as long as I get glasses if my eyes heal, I'll be fine."

"That brilliant! Watch you'll get your sight back before you know it and you can join the Quidditch team next year with me."

She shook her head, "James, there's more."

He groaned and she bounced up a little as James fell onto his back dramatically. "What?"

"Even if I get my vision back, there's a fifty-fifty shot of my children getting the disease and being born blind. Then for the fifty percent shot that wouldn't be blind, there's another fifty-fifty shot of my kids being born with absolutely horrible vision. Then there's always the possibility that I might relapse and-"

James cut her off, "Ursula, shut up. I don't think that's going to be a problem for you. I mean if a guy ever made an issue about it, then you can get us to beat him up for you."

She shook her head vehemently, "No you don't get it James! No will want to date me because if I stay blind, no one wants to date a blind girl! If I do get my vision back and I get married, more than likely I'm going to curse some bloke's children with this horrible disease. It just won't work!" She shouted at him.

The infirmary was silent a moment. At some point during her yelling at him, James had sat back up so he was now looking at her with oddly serious eyes.

There was a moment for silence before James spoke up.

"You know, I would marry you."

Ursula started choking on the air. "What?" She gasped out.

James shrugged, even though she couldn't see, "My future kids are already doomed vision-wise. So I've already accepted my kids are going to be half blind by the time they are five. So if some bloke doesn't marry you by the time your…thirty-five, I'll marry you." He said simply.

She couldn't believe the words spewing out of her friend's mouth. "Are you serious?"

James shook his head, "Nah, that's your twin. I hope Sirius has never suggested this before; that takes a new level of wrong for 'keeping the blood line pure' crap. But yes, I am serious. I want some kids one day but there isn't a woman out there that can tame the Oh So Amazing James Harold Potter. My mum always says you're supposed to marry your best friend so it would work between us."

She was silent a moment as she considered his points. But she had to know, "Are you serious about this?"

He sighed annoyed and she felt search his pockets for some parchment and a quill. When he found one, he grabbed her patient chart off the edge of the bed and started softly talking to himself as he wrote out the words,

"I James Harold Potter, solemnly swear that upon my thirty-fifth birthday, if both I and Ursula Walburga Black are unwed, I shall marry her within the year. Signed, James H. Potter."

She could hear the scratching of his quill and he obnoxiously signed his name at the bottom of the paper. She heard him muttered something and then there was the familiar sound of magic affecting something and the rustling of paper.

"What did you do?" She asked him.

"Charmed it."

"Why in Merlin's – never mind."

She tried to act nonchalant, but this gesture was the nicest anyone had ever done for her. Here James was, offering to marry her when he was just twelve, almost thirteen. It was very mature of him, Ursula realized. It was probably the most selfless thing he had ever done for anyone and he didn't even think twice about it. Ursula didn't know that James could be this sweet, sincere, earnest-

"You should feel lucky you know. You'll end up marrying the best looking bloke that ever graced this castle. I'm going to be bloody handsome when I'm older and all the women will be fawning over me. Of course I won't marry them. No one can tie down the awesome James Potter. But don't worry, I'll only have eyes for you once we get married; my mum gave me _some_ morals. I just to warn you about the ladies that will be throwing themselves at me when I'm a famous Quidditch player."

She rolled her eyes even though he couldn't see them.

"Of course, James, of course they will."

* * *

><p><em>I hoped that this chapter quelled everyone's fears about the girls. They are going to be fine. Don't worry about them. I was going to end the chapter with everyone leaving but then I decided to have a cute JamesUrsula moment. Don't worry, this story is going to end up cannon, but I just love James and Ursula as friends. They are kind of like a more affectionate version of Sirius and James in my story. Tell me what you think._

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	44. Silent Treatment

As it was brought to my attention, you guys all kind of agree that Elyse hasn't been given much love in the last few chapters. For all those that felt that way, I hope that this makes up for it.

* * *

><p>Elyse was sitting against the propped up pillows, working on some of the homework she had missed the last week of school. Madame Pomfrey had refused to let neither she nor Ursula out of the hospital wing until she deemed them in perfect health. Elyse would have laughed if she could make a sound. Perfect health? She was a mute and Ursula couldn't see. Yep, they were the epitome of perfect health.<p>

The days were absolutely horrible to go through. Not only did her throat constantly feel like she needed to cough but she couldn't communicate with her best friend only one bed away. When Elyse heard all the words Ursula spoke to her the first day, but she couldn't respond. Dejected, Ursula had given up after five minutes. Now the room was so barren and quiet. It was maddening.

Only when her friends and family were there was she able to see the light at the end of the tunnel. When she first woke up, she saw her mother, father, and two little brothers sitting around her bed. Jack had a toy airplane he was playing with, making a 'vroooom' sound while he 'flew' the plane around him. Sean snuggled against his mother's shoulder while she held him securely at his hip. His bright blue eyes lit up when he saw her eyes open the first time.

"'Weesie!" He shouted happily with a giggle. He clapped his hands together and smiled at her, showing off his teeth that had come in. The three-year old had obviously not forgotten who his sister was even though he rarely saw her during the year.

It had been a joyous reunion. They had stayed by her side the entire day until Dumbledore came to take them to special chambers they had prepared for the family so they could stay an extra day before they had to leave.

When that day came, Elyse felt tears prickle in the corners of her eyes. She was now confined to a hospital bed and she couldn't even communicate with her best friend lying only a few feet away from her.

She was just about to hall sleep on a Friday night when the gang walked in. She watched as they all walked closer and closer to the beds. They all looked relaxed and in perfect health. They had been allowed to go outside to enjoy the first nice day in March. Jealously sprang up in her chest as she took in their slightly tanner skin and light summer robes. It was technically their fault that she was stuck there anyway.

Sirius walked over to her with an easy smile on his face with his hair falling into his eyes with natural grace.

"You are every bloke's dream right now." He said as he settled in the chair next to her bed.

She raised an eyebrow, asking the silent question.

He smirked, "A girl that can't talk back."

His response was an extremely rude hand gesture that sent him into a fit of laughter. His barking (because that it what it sounded like to Elyse) echoed off the infirmary walls. Ursula spoke up from the bed across from her, "Shut up you stupid sod."

"You love me," Sirius said, stilling laughing. He reached over and messed up the top of Elyse's curly red hair. She slapped his hand away and looked crossly at him. She crossed her arms across her chest and glared at him.

He looked down condescendingly, "What is this? James, I think she's giving me the silent treatment!" He whined to his best friend. "Make her stop!"

James walked over and mock examined her. He pretended to be a healer, poking her ticklish sides and tapping her knee under the blankets. He notably ignored her death glare. Carrying an extremely somber expression on his face, he put his hand on Sirius's shoulder.

"I'm sorry Sir, we have determined that she is indeed giving you the silent treatment."

"I knew it!" Sirius fake sobbed before covering his face his hands as his shoulders shook with 'sobs'. James wrapped an arm around his friend. "I promise you we will do everything we can for her, but it looks bad."

Ben and Remus were getting their homework out to help the two girls while James and Sirius made a scene of themselves. Ben walked over to Ursula and started to explain the DADA work they had while Remus made his way over towards Elyse.

"James, could you move?" He asked.

James looked up from the chair he occupied. He smiled up at him, with a cocky smile.

"I don't want to."

Remus sighed. With James, it was always a battle.

"Just move."

"No."

"Please?"

"I don't want to." James seemed to be having fun with this game. Elyse was getting a headache just listening him being so defiant. If only she could talk right now…

"Come on James, move," Remus practically begged him.

James leaned back in the chair and ran his hand through his hair, "I don't think so Moony."

"James, just get up," Sirius spoke up from the other side of the bed.

Making a spectacular show, James slowly pushed himself out of the chair. He entertained himself until it was his turn to teach Ursula what she missed in Transfiguration while Sirius waited to do the same for Elyse. It was a perfect system that the second year Gryffindors worked out. Remus and Ben would teach DADA, James and Sirius reviewed what they learned Transfiguration, Lily would explain the lessons in Potions and History of Magic, Alice and Marlene explained the new theory in Charms, and Peter would get Herbology and Astronomy. The system had been working the last week, ever since the girls woke up.

The boys were gone about two hours later with Ursula and Elyse understanding DADA more they had the entire year and them restraining the need to throw James and Sirius out the windows. They simple would not stop messing around, even when they were trying to teach their friends the school work so they wouldn't fail. In all honesty, they were very lucky that Elyse and Ursula good at Transfiguration without their help.

It was the next Monday morning they were released from the infirmary.

Madame Pomfrey looked down at Elyse with her strict eyes, "Miss O'Brian, you can leave. Normally, a teacher would escort you back to the tower, but under these circumstances…" she trailed off.

The question was literally on the tip of her tongue but she couldn't ask it. After a week of not talking, Elyse could barely handle it. She wanted to tell her family that she loved them and she would be alright. She wanted to yell at the boys and blame them for this but then immediately tell them that she didn't mean it. She wanted to ask Lily what the heck they were doing in Potions because she barely understood it. But most of all, she wanted to talk to her best friend.

Ursula was sitting across from her, her eyes blankly staring in front of her. The bandages had been removed from her eyes three days ago but she was still as blind as a bat. It wasn't obvious that there was something wrong with her eyes from a distance but the second you got close to her you could still see grey smoke in her pupils. Her silver eyes had almost returned to normal (Madame Pomfrey had assured that they would go back) but they were still eerie to look at.

"Get along now. Please be careful getting back to the Tower."

Silently, Ursula held tightly to Elyse arm as she led them across the castle. Ursula would stumble here and there, not expecting staircases or slightly bumps in the ancient stone castle floor. When the Fat Lady saw them, she let them in without the password. The common room was empty. Elyse found this extremely weird, considering most of the sixth and seventh year students always bragged spending their free time in there.

None the less, Elyse led her friend up the stairs and into their dorm. Elyse looked at the room that had not been changed since her departure to the infirmary. Her bed was spotless, all traces of the blood she coughed up were gone from her comforter and pillows.

"Elyse?" Ursula asked into the silent room.

Elyse looked over and saw tears swimming Ursula's eyes as she carefully sat down her bed and turned to look in the direction that she knew Elyse's bed to be.

"I know you can't respond, but I think we're going to get through this." She said softly.

Even if Elyse could talk, she doubted that she would have had a response to her statement. Right now, she didn't think she was going to get through this. It was maddening. She wanted to scream, yell, shout, cry but none of it was possible.

Ursula, knowing her best friend as well she did, spoke again, "I swear Elyse, we are going to get through this. I don't think I could spend the rest of my life not being able to talk to you, you're my best friend."

Elyse got up from her bed and practically tackled Ursula under her in a hug. She could feel Ursula's tears hitting her shoulder and she knew that her tears were doing the same. They sat like that for about ten minutes, two best friends holding each other, unable to communicate.

Suddenly, there was the sound of a stampede of Hippogriffs running up the stairs. The door burst open and Elyse saw Lily, Alice, and Marlene's ecstatic faces.

"You're back!" Marlene shouted and dove onto the bed to join the hug. Ursula laughed at hugged her. Once the girls hugged the living daylights out of each other, Elyse couldn't help but wonder about their overly excited faces. She didn't have to wait long.

"This day keeps on getting better and better! First Avery and now you two are back!" Alice giggled happily at the end of her sentence and she danced to her bed.

"What happened in Avery's class?" Ursula asked the question for both Elyse and herself.

Lily's eyes darkened a bit before started to explain, "Today in class, he made a reference to you two getting really sick. I didn't hear what he said, but Black just about exploded. He ran forward to hit Professor Avery when Ben pulled him back. Sirius fell forward and ended up grabbing onto Avery's arm."

Marlene took over the story.

"There must have been a tear on his sleeve already because the whole thing came off. So Sirius is lying on the ground at this point and James gets up and we think it's to help Sirius off the ground. But then someone screamed."

Now Alice finished the story.

"James cast a bounding hex at Avery. Ben and Remus sent two more sets of ropes to tie him up. He had the **_Dark Mark_** on his arm! Some kids ran to get McGonagall and she sent for the headmaster. Dumbledore fired him on the spot with the whole class watching and called some Aurors to take Avery away. It was wicked!"

Elyse's and Ursula's eyes had widened to the eyes of saucers.

"He was Death Eater?" Ursula asked in shock.

The three girls nodded enthusiastically.

"It was _moving_. I've never seen anything so creepy looking." Marlene shuddered as she thought about the memory.

"Who is going to teach that class now?" Ursula asked. They still had half a term left and they needed to have a teacher for the remaining time.

Lily shrugged, "I don't know. This just happened a few hours ago. Everyone's out by the Black Lake talking about it."

Ursula groaned and leaned back against the headboard and crossed her arms as she huffed, "I wish we could have seen it."

Elyse couldn't have agreed more.

* * *

><p><em>I realize that Elyse sounds a little bitter in this chapter and little more sarcastic and mean but she is a 13 year old kid who knows that she might never be able to talk again. She's a bit bitter about the whole ordeal because a) she hasn't had time to accept it and b) she can't really talk about it, can she? So if you found her a little OOC, that's why.<em>

_Just so everyone knows, I think this book is only going to have one more chapter before it ends. If there is anything that you want to happen or anything cleared up before we go into the later years, please feel free to let me know._

**_Last thing and this is probably the most important one. I want to know your opinions on what patronus/animagus Elyse should have. I have already chosen an animal for Ursula and Ben but I am coming up with a blank as to what to make Elyse. So if you would like to suggest anything, please, please feel free. Also if you want, suggest some for Ursula and Ben. I more pretty sure on what I picked for them but if someone has a better idea, I am all for it. I want to have an idea by the end of the next school year so I would like some ideas now. Thanks._**

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	45. The Future is Bright

"Let's do something!" James declared at breakfast.

Elyse looked at him and shook her head. She got out her notebook and wrote quickly, 'Voice therapy after breakfast.'

"What?" Ursula asked, still oblivious to James's and Elyse's exchange.

The girls had been out of the hospital wing for almost a month now. Their improvement has been slow. Ursula could only see blurry shapes and Elyse still couldn't make a sound. The two girls didn't appear to be angry or frustrated anymore. While they had been upset the first week or so, they seemed to have come to accept what had happened to them. The boys were most surprised by Elyse's quick acceptance; they could tell she was angry at them and furious at the situation. But she just smiled in an infuriatingly knowing way and tapped her skull with her finger.

"Once Elyse gets back from her voice therapy I was thinking that we go down by the lake to get a little sunlight. Ursula looks paler than Nearly-Headless Nick!"

Peter about peed himself while laughing at James's comparison. While James looked a little freaked out, he relished in the attention it got him.

"So," he began again with more arrogance, "what do you say?" he asked with a roguish smile on his face.

Elyse responded by glaring at him. But all of a sudden her eyes glazed over, not looking unlike Ursula's, and she didn't respond for a good minute before returned back to glaring at James.

"What was that about?" Sirius asked from next to James. That wasn't what it sounded like. It can out more like, "Mwut, wah at awout?"

Elyse had been around Sirius enough during dinner to understand what he was saying so turned to look at him. Her face clearly said 'if I told you I would have to kill you.'

"I think we should go to the lake," Ben interjected.

James thumped his fists against the table and then pointed at his red headed friend, "That's what I'm talking about! Who else is up for spending the day outside?"

After everyone agreed that they would meet by the lake under 'their' tree in two hours (Elyse's therapy was that long), Ursula got up to go talk to Lily and Alice who were sitting a little ways down the table. James looked at Remus in concern. The full moon was later that night and the boy looked extremely ill.

"Why don't you go to the hospital wing?" James suggested.

Remus tried to focus his eyes on James but he was too ill and tired, "I'll be fine."

"Rubbish!" Ben said. "Come on, I'll walk you up there."

Ben swung his and Remus's book bags onto his shoulder and helped guide/half carry Remus to the hospital wing. James, Peter, and Sirius all shared a look, wondering what mischief they could get into in two hours.

"Let's get out of here." Sirius said after he finished stuffing his face with food. The other boys nodded and started walking around the school, taking notice of all the pictures and anything they deemed interesting. They found a crack in the wall that was a little too perfect and they also saw an oddly colored floor stone.

James realized at that moment that he never explained to Sirius his animagus idea. With everything going on with the girls and also with Remus always with them, he completely forgot that Sirius wasn't with them when he had the epiphany in the library.

"Oi! Sirius! I can't believe I forgot to tell you!" James hit himself on the forehead.

Sirius looked over at him, "What?"

"I think I figured out how we can help Remus during the full moon," James said with a roguish grin.

"How?" Sirius demanded.

James went into an in-depth explanation about his concept and how it would help Remus. The look on Sirius's face grew more and more ecstatic as the explanation pointed more and more towards rule breaking and general anarchy.

"So you're suggesting we break not only Hogwarts' rules, but also break one of the most unbreakable laws of the Ministry? Even when the Minister's kid would be involved in this?" Sirius asked him.

"Ben seemed to like the idea," James defended, folding his arms and turning up his nose slightly. He was confused about Sirius's questions. Out of all his friends, the Blacks (Sirius especially) were the ones that usually immediately agreed with his wild, rule breaking plans. Now Sirius was questioning him. But now Sirius's eyes were brighter than they had been ever since Ursula and Elyse's accident. It didn't make sense until Sirius started talking again.

"I think its bloody brilliant. What's the first step?"

Peter spoke up with a trembling voice, "But what if we get caught?"

James and Sirius simultaneously rolled their eyes.

"We won't." James assured him.

"But James," Peter began with his blue eyes as wide and as beady as a rat, "i-if we get caught, that's t-t-ten years in A-A-Azkaban."

Sirius scoffed at that, "Ten years in Azkaban? Ha! It would be worth it for a friend, don't you agree James?"

James nodded, his glasses slipping down his long nose slightly. "It would." He said seriously to Peter before turning back to Sirius and starting to walk down the hallway again, "The first step is to master the Patronus Charm. More often than not, your animagus form is the same as your first patronus."

Sirius nodded, knowingly while Peter looked terribly confused between the two boys.

"What do you mean first Patronus?" He asked in a high squeaky voice. Would he have to master the spell more than once and be expected to give different results?

James sighed, "It means that you Patronus can change. If you experience true love or a great loss, it will change to match the person or the situation."

"What?"

"Your patronus is a reflection of your soul so when you lose or gain someone close to your heart, it changes to match. You have to think of your happiest memory and let it consume you to make a patronus. Some grown wizards can't even do it."

"It sounds hard," Peter whimpered, remembering his failing grade in Transfiguration and Charms.

James clapped him on the shoulder, "It's alright you've got absolutely brilliant friends so we'll help you figure it out. Alright?"

Sirius snorted, "You can help him, mate."

James rolled his eyes remembering how badly it went the last time Sirius tried to tutor Peter in a school related subject. Sirius ended up using accidentally magic and blasted Peter right off the chair he was so frustrated.

"Come on you lazy slugs! We have a lake to get to!"

Half an hour later, the second year Gryffindors were lounging by the lake, basking in the warm sun. They had since removed their robes and the boys their suit jackets. All of them had loosened their ties and rolled their sleeves to their elbows.

Ursula was leaning back on her elbows, her head hanging back as she soaked up the much needed sunlight. Her pale skin had a glowing quality to it, as did Elyse's. But Elyse had decided to save her skin from the sunburn she knew would happen if she went into the sun for more than five minutes and she sat on a reasonably low branch. The rest of the boys were sitting around the tree trunk. Before joining them Sirius, Peter, and James had stopped at the kitchens to get some food. They were munching on some treacle tarts and Remus was reverently holding onto his chocolate pudding while discussing their summer plans.

"I think I'm going to be going with my dad to the Ministry a lot," Ben confessed. "Annabelle is there too so I want to see this 'bloody, wanker Crouch' she always complains about. Seriously, there isn't one letter without her complaining about him."

"Sounds more interesting than my summer," Peter said sadly. "Mom and Dad are taking me to stay with my grandma. She's so old she makes Dumbledore look like a baby."

James laughed and Peter looked positively thrilled with himself.

"My summer is going to be brilliant!" James said his hazel eyes dancing. "Mum and Dad want everyone to visit over the summer."

"Everyone except us. Our parent would never let us out to visit 'those bloody traitor Potters! Vile, disgusting excuses for purebloods!'" Ursula said mocking her mother.

"I mentioned that to them. They said that we didn't have to worry about that." James said nonchalantly.

"I bet your dad would burst down the door or something," Sirius mused outloud.

"Maybe he can transfigure your mom like he did your uncle." Remus suggested.

Ursula rolled on her back as she laughed hysterically on the ground, mentally visualizing her mother covered in feathers and neon colors. Too bad she might not be able to see it…

"James, look over two trees." Sirius said suddenly.

Everyone turned to look, except Ursula who just sighed and closed her eyes.

Sitting close to the lake in the shade of a tree Snape was sitting by himself, writing frantically in a book. His greasy, long hair fell into their eyes and the sunlight gave it a glittery sheen.

All at once, they turned to look at James. A smirk slowly started to form on his face, the right side going up farther than the left.

"I don't know about you, but I think it looks like dear ol' Snivellus needs to wash his hair."

He jumped to his feet and motioned to Sirius, "Come on, Sirius."

Sirius got to his feet and hung close to James's side. The others looked at each other a moment before they too stood up and followed the two boys. Ben was holding Ursula's hand as he guided her while Elyse held onto her arm on the other side.

James snuck a look behind him and smiled when he saw his friends right behind him. Ho moved to one side of the tree Snape was sitting in front of while Sirius moved to the other side.

"One," James mouthed the Sirius, "two, THREE!"

Snape jumped at the shout which James was counting on. Quickly James and Sirius cast some weak blasting hexes. Snape was catapulted forward and landed in the lake with a painful sounding splash. Snape's shout brought the attention of some of the surrounding student's. When Snape's head appeared out of the water looking like a drowned rat, everyone burst into raucous laughter.

"He has the water, but no soap." James mused out loud. "Would you like to do the honors, Sirius."

Smirking just as much as his friend, Sirius raised his wand and said a spell that caused bubbles to surround Snape in the water, bubbling so high, they soon covered him.

"Think he's finally clean?" James asked the crowd that had gathered. The kids laughed and shook their heads. James just shrugged and lazily caused more and more bubbles to appear. Elyse and Peter were practically dying with laughter while Ben was chuckling at the display. He would normally be against this, but Ben hadn't forgotten the plate incident last year that left a mark on Ursula's forehead that was still just barely visible.

"Potter! Black! What is the meaning of this? Is there someone under those bubbles?" McGonagall swept over to them with a shocked look on her face. With a swish of her wand, the bubbles disappeared and a sputtering Snape was uncovered. He was coughing out water and his eyes were bloodshot from the burning of the soap.

"We thought that Snivellus needed to wash his hair." Sirius told McGonagall as if he was telling her the weather.

"It was looking a bit greasy today." James added cheerfully.

Ursula laughed at their comments but quickly turned it into a cough. She didn't need to be able to see McGonagall's glare to feel it.

"You two come with me. Fenwick!" she called over the Hufflepuff prefect that was engrossed in a book a little farther down the lake. His light brown hair fell into his eyes as he looked up. "Please assist Mr. Snape to the Hospital wing." She turned to address the rest of the crowd, "I'm quite sure that you all have final exams to study for. I suggest you do just that."

The crowd immediately dispersed.

* * *

><p>The final exams they had to study for were not the difficult, the second years later found. Ursula had the hardest go at them because she couldn't see her test. She had to orally take all the tests with each of the teachers. The boys helped her study, quizzing her when they walked from class to class and back in the boy's dorm after classes.<p>

They all passed with flying colors (except Peter, he almost failed) and now they were sitting in their compartment on their way home.

"Thank Merlin that is over!" James exclaimed as he dramatically fell onto the seat. He ended up on Elyse's lap and he kicked his feet up onto Ben's lap. Elyse, now able to make simple humming sounds to express herself pushed James off her and onto the floor.

"Oi!" James shouted as he struggled to his feet and put his glasses back on.

The rest of them laughed at him as they settled into the compartment. Their compartment was the loudest by far. They had a lot to celebrate. Elyse was getting her voice back and Ursula was starting to get her eyesight back. The lively group caused much mayhem, putting dungbombs in the prefect's compartments, making a couple of Slytherins dance like buffoons, and scaring a couple of first years with a floating bloody hand (James sticking his hand out from under the invisibility cloak with his hand covered in fake blood).

As they got off the train, Ursula felt a hand on her shoulder. She could vaguely see that the person was taller and had bright hair.

"You'll look after yourself this summer, right?" Ben asked her softly.

Ursula didn't respond right away. She closed her eyes and listened to her surroundings. She had found that with the loss of her eyesight, her hearing had become quite good. The station was full of families tearfully uniting after months apart. Kids were shouting goodbyes to each other. She heard Lily and Elyse talking as they planned to go over to the muggle side of the platform together. Peter's mother was fussing over him. Off a little bit to the side, she could hear Remus talking to his parents and it also sounded a bit like Mrs. White was there. Sirius was off with James animatedly telling Mr. and Mrs. Potter a story from their year at school.

"You know I will." She finally said.

He gave her shoulder a gentle shove as he pushed her forward. The weight of her bag disappeared from her shoulder and he lead her towards their friends and their families.

"I mean it; I don't want to see you like you were this year. Promise me you'll keep your head low and wait for the Potters to go get you."

She sighed, both amused and touched by the worry in his voice.

"I promise I won't come back looking like I did."

Ben huffed at the loophole she found in his wording. He didn't want her to run the risk of getting caught, but once again she wormed her way out of that.

"Just swear that you'll come back in one, non bruised piece."

She was about to respond when Sirius shouted at her to hurry up. James seconded his friend by adding she needed to hurry 'her blind butt up'. She distinctly heard his mother reprimand him for such a rude comment but any parental punishment was lost under Mr. Potter's roaring laughter.

Ursula wrapped her right arm around Ben's waist and gave him a half hug as goodbye.

"I won't just swear," she said. "I solemnly swear."

Ben chuckled, "I'll take that."

Ursula smiled and gave him one last squeeze around the waist before pulling away from him. She waved goodbye to him as he joined his mother. He waved back once before he disappeared along with his mother. Peter and Elyse were now gone, already past the barriers. Remus was off somewhere with his mother and father.

It was only just her and her brother, along with all the Potters. They didn't have to wait long before only the Black's mother showed up with Regulus on her heals.

"Come," she barked at them like they were animals.

"We're not bloody dogs," Sirius growled at her.

Walburga's eyes flashed, "What was that?" She hissed at him, gripping his arm tightly.

Ursula could feel Sirius's other hand tighten protectively around her own arm. Sirius was about to repeat himself but before he could, Mrs. Potter cut in.

"Don't you dare lay a hand on them."

The twin's mouth's dropped at the acid in Mrs. Potter's voice. She had always been so kind and sweet sounding. Now the twins were sure that Voldemort would obey that voice.

"I can do what I want to my children. Maybe you should have been a little stricter with your son so he wouldn't grow up to be such a little miscreant like these two brats." Walburga sneered while glaring at James and the twins.

Mrs. Potter's wand was suddenly pointed directly level with Walburga's face. "Don't you DARE speak about my children like that."

"Child_ren_?" Walburga asked, shocked.

Mr. Potter stepped forward and gently lowered his wife's arm. His voice was not as kind as his actions. His normal dancing blue eyes were as hard as sapphires as he regarded the other woman.

"Yes children. Now you listen Walburga, if either of these two comes to our house with even a scratch on their knee, I will make sure your life becomes a living _hell_. Two of my closest friends are the Minister and the other is your very own brother, so don't even think for a damn second that you would be able to get away with it."

The twins looked at Mr. Potter with wonder and awe while their mom look affronted.

"Is that a threat?" She hissed at him.

"No, it's a promise. Get back to your family and maybe treat them like it."

Mr. and Mrs. Potter both gave the twins loving hugs before they dragged a gob smacked James after them. Just before they disapparated, the twins distinctly heard James snap out of it and exclaim, "That was BRILLIANT!"

Sirius and Ursula shared a look. This was going to be an interesting summer, that was for sure.

* * *

><p><em>This is the last installment of the first book of the <span>A Black and White Story<span> series. I hope you all have enjoyed the ride so far and you continue to read the next book, which should be up sometime next week. I just finished school this week so I am going to have a lot more time to write. The next book is going to cover third and fourth year. I don't want to ruin the surprise but there is going to be some visions, duels, fights, and a wee bit of romance thrown in for good measure I think. It will be titled A Black and White Story: Book Two so keep an eye out._

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	46. Sequel News

I just wanted everyone to know that the sequel is up. If you go to my profile page, it should show up. It is titled _A Black and White Story: Book Two_. While you are there, feel free to check out two One-Shots that go along with the fist book of the series. I hope you enjoy!


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